Mary Elizabeth Shelledy

Mary Elizabeth Shelledy, 92, of New London, died Sunday, September 27, 2020 at New London Specialty Care.  She was born June 21, 1928, to Ray and Aletha Bonar Williams in Danville, Iowa.  On August 20, 1949 she married Floyd A. Shelledy in Danville.  He died July 23, 2012.  She was a graduate of Danville High School and attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls.

Mary loved watching football, especially the Packers, Broncos and Hawkeyes.  She was a fantastic cook and loved trying new recipes.  She was a long time member of the New London Presbyterian Church, was a member of the choir, active in county 4-H work, and was a member of Sweet Adelines.  She sold tickets for the trolley at Midwest Old Threshers for many years, worked in real estate sales for three years, and also worked alongside Floyd on the farm.

Mary was a 50 plus year member of New London Chapter OES and Past Matron.  Also she was a Past Grand Representative and past committee member on several Iowa Grand Chapter committees.

Survivors include her children Peggy (Dennis) Gruss of Carlisle, David (Karen) Shelledy of Norwalk, and Ana (Jeff) Lair of New London; grandchildren Derek Gruss of Winterset, Marie (Noel) Sherr of Durham, NC, Chrissy (Lucas) Freed of West Des Moines, Mandy (Matt) Cross of Omaha, Katie Vincent of Des Moines, Matt Lorber of Leesburg, VA, Kim Shelledy of Norwalk; many great grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her husband; siblings Doris Wilson, Sara Williams, and Max Williams; her grandson Michael Shelledy and great-granddaughter Shelby Gruss.

The family will be forever grateful to the entire staff of the New London Specialty Care for the compassion, caring, and love shown to their mom.

The funeral service for Mrs. Shelledy will be held at 11:00 AM, Friday, at Elliott Chapel, New London, with Pastor Maurie Campbell officiating with Eastern Star Services.

Visitation will be from 2-6 PM Thursday, without family present and the family will greet friends one hour before the service on Friday.  Burial will follow at Burge Cemetery, New London.  Memorials have been established for the Presbyterian Church General Fund, New London Chapter OES, and the activity fund at New London Specialty Care.  Social Distancing should be observed and masks are recommended.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Ralph V. Miller

Ralph V. Miller, 93, of Danville, died Saturday, September 26, 2020 in the emergency department at Great River Medical Center, West Burlington. He was born on the family farm near Danville on June 11, 1927 to Henry John and Esther Keuhlne Miller.  On January 28, 1953, he married Barbara Edith Gerow in Bentonville, Arkansas. She died October 17, 2011.

Ralph attended Tornado Country School and served in the United States Army during the Korean War from 1951 – 1953. He was of the Christian faith.

He worked a few years at IAAP and retired from Burlington Northern Railroad after 36 years.

He was a collector of toy tractors, clocks and watches; enjoyed doing yardwork and keeping busy outside; and especially enjoyed being with his family and loving his grandchildren.

Survivors include two daughters, Sandra Larson of Des Moines and Sharon (John) Stuart of Danville; two sons, Steven Miller of Ft. Madison and Scott (Marina) Miller of Danville; nine grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; three brothers, Kenneth (Patricia) Miller of Washington, Illinois, William Miller of Burlington and Keith (Marilyn) Miller of Danville, and one sister Elaine Esther (Robert) Ledman of Phoenix, Arizona.  Besides his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by two children, Stewart and Shirley Ann in infancy; and brother Robert Miller.

The family will receive friends from 10:00 until Noon Thursday, October 1,

at Elliott Chapel, New London.   A graveside service will immediately follow at

Prairie Grove Cemetery, West Burlington with Pastor Dan Buck officiating. Please follow social distancing guidelines and masks are recommended.  A memorial has been established for Danville Fire and Rescue Unit.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Ricky Joe Hand

Ricky Joe Hand, 67, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

A graveside funeral service for Mr. Hand will be held at 11:00 AM Wednesday, Sept. 30 at the Salem East Cemetery. Calling Hours without the family present will be from 9 AM – 3 PM on Tuesday at the Kimzey Funeral Home. Visitation will continue with the family present from 4-6 PM at the Midwest Old Threshers Wright Family Pavilion. Online condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.

Ricky Joe Hand was born June 19, 1953 in Mt. Pleasant. He was the son of Jim and M. JoAnn (Wilson) Hand. He attended school in Mt. Pleasant where he excelled as an athlete in football, wrestling and track. On June 12, 1987, in Mountain Home, Butler Co., Arkansas,he married Brenda Diane Lamb.

For nearly 35 years, Ricky was a Resident Treatment Worker for the former Mt. Pleasant Mental Health Institute. He retired prior to its closing. During his time there, he served as President of the MHI AFSCME Union.

Ricky loved music and did some DJ jobs on the side. He liked to sing, but mostly sang for his family. He had a great love of the outdoors, as he enjoyed yardwork, bird watching, mushrooming, sun tea and just sitting out. He loved fishing. He enjoyed playing World of War Craft. Ricky lived for holidays, most especially the chicken fry his family hosted every Fourth of July. Rick was always good to share a story and usually not just one.

Those thankful for sharing in Ricky’s life  include his wife Brenda of Mt. Pleasant; 4 children – Heloni Cook and husband Larry of Crawfordsville, IA; Cassi Hand and husband Eric Gaul of Little York, IL, Ricky Hand of Mt. Pleasant and Gina Schwartz and husband Jason of Mt. Pleasant; 1 sister – Doni Kernan and husband Mike of Geneseo, IL; and 9 grandchildren – Joseph, Jaklyn, William, Autumn, Buster, Rachel “Bumba”, Warwick, Emmy and Hather.

His parents and a daughter Brandy precede Ricky in death.

Instruction at MP Remains Face-to-Face For Now

Despite cancelling the Panthers’ Friday night football game with Keokuk, the Mount Pleasant school administration will continue with face-to-face learning at school. Friday’s announcement said the game was being cancelled out of an abundance of caution regarding team members’ potential positive COVID-19 tests. Parents and players were notified of the cancellation Friday morning. Athletic Director Scott Lamm told KILJ the team will “reevaluate” where things stand Monday after contact tracing and perhaps testing over the weekend. Meanwhile, Superintendent John Henriksen met with administrators and school board members Friday afternoon to re-evaluate the district’s current face-to-face instructional model with the possibility of moving to a hybrid model. The Henry County positivity rate was also taken into consideration as well as the fact there have been a number of positive cases at the high school.  In his letter to parents, Supt. Henriksen said it was decided to remain with the face-to-face model and to work to improve physical distancing practices in the classrooms, minimize close contacts and potential transmission. Parents were also informed that students are doing a good job at school of observing the mitigation policies and it doesn’t appear transmission is taking place at school. In general, there isn’t a lot of illness at school. The average daily attendance is over 96% after factoring out the number quarantined due to close contact. The district also considered the fact that most of the cases in the county are localized and confined and not representative of broad virus spread across the school district. In his letter, Henriksen urged parents to follow good mitigation strategies and to encourage their students to do the same in school and outside of school. He stressed the importance of working together if students are to continue face-to-face learning which the district feels is best for students.

New London Picks HOCO King and Queen!

Congratulations to this year’s New London Homecoming King and Queen…Mac White and Marah Hartrick!

The full Homecoming Court was announced Wednesday night during Boom Night activities.  This year’s court includes Marah Hartrick, Clara Jones, Kyra Lincoln, Sophie Riegard and Ivonna Lajznerova. The gentleman on the court are Brody Butterbaugh, Currey Jacobs, Clayton  Phillips, Caydin Wahls and Mac White. The King and Queen were crowned Friday night before kickoff of the Homecoming game between The New London Tigers and the Winfield Mt. Union Wolves.

Ronald L. “Ron” DeWitt

Ronald L. “Ron” DeWitt, 76, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

A private family funeral service will be held on Monday at the Green Glade Cemetery, Farmington, Iowa, with masks and social distancing required. Military honors will be conducted by the NOCS Des Moines Naval Funeral Honors Team.

There will be no visitation at the Kimzey Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant, which is assisting the family with the arrangements. On line condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.

Ron was born December 19, 1943 in Kahoka, MO, the son of Adrian Leon and Eva Louise (Jenkins) DeWitt. He graduated from Kahoka High School in 1962. On November 22, 1962 in Carthage, IL, Ron was united in marriage to Betty Jean “Jeannie” McBride. Mrs. DeWitt preceded him in death on August 22, 1914.

After high school he enlisted in the US Navy. He served during the Vietnam War from 1962-1967. He did his basic training in San Diego, CA and was stationed with his wife in Rota, Spain and Key West, FL. He was honorably discharged at the USNAS, Key West, FL on Dec. 16, 1966. The couple made their home in Farmington, IA from 1968-1983. In 1983, they moved to Mt. Pleasant where they resided until their passing.

From 1967-1976, Ron worked in Ft. Madison at the Iowa State Penitentiary. He transferred to the Medium Security Unit in Mt. Pleasant as a supervisor until his retirement in 1002. After retirement, he held down a variety of part-time jobs.

Ron was a skilled craftsman and liked working with his hands. There was nothing he couldn’t do. He enjoyed being outdoors, and spending time with his family. In his later years, he enjoyed watching History channel, documentaries, Animal Planet and old westerns. Ron was a lover of animals, especially their beloved bichpoo Lilly who passed this spring.

Ron is survived by his four children – Ronotta (Dan) McCormick of Mt. Pleasant, Ronna (Alan) Mayberry of Iowa City, Ron (Belinda) DeWitt of Solon, IA and Regina Waddle of Morning Sun, IA; grandchildren – Amanda (Tyler) Sargent, Armand (Sarah) McCormick, Angelina (David) Bucheit, Brian (Sarah) Mayberry, Jennifer (Kyle) Mitchell, Eli (Kelsey) DeWitt, Chandler DeWitt, Tayler Waddle, Tabian Waddle, and Tauren Waddle; 12 great grandchildren; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Clair and Marlene Mc Bride of Farmington, IA and a sister-in-law, Nancie Holmes of Kahoka, MO.

Ron is preceded in death by his parents and wife; a brother, Larry DeWitt; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Clair and Bertha (Cochenour) McBride and a brother-in-law, Larry Holmes.

Paul Black

Paul Black, a well-known and highly respected cyclist from Des Moines, passed away after a brief illness on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.

Paul was born in Mount Pleasant on March 10, 1949 to Carl and Helen (Snyder) Black. He grew up on farms in the Libertyville and Fairfield area. Paul graduated from Fairfield High School with the class of 1967. After high school he attended Iowa State University earning a degree in 1972.

It was in Ames where the seeds of nearly fifty years of cycling were planted. Highlights from cycling included Paris-Brest-Paris (750 miles) in 1991; the 2,909 mile Race Across America (RAAM) where he finished 10th in 9 days & 23hrs; 6 trips to Alaska in February for the Iditasport races; and there were too many qualifying races and RAGBRI events to count. This February he was in Sebring Florida for a race and finished first in his age category on a recumbent bicycle. Paul had planned a trip to Spain this past March before travel was canceled. With all of the organized events, the rides Paul enjoyed most were casual outings with friends such as riding the temperature on New Year’s Day, Wednesday night rides and riding the miles of is age on his birthday.

Paul retired from the State of Iowa as an Information Technology Specialist in 2010. After retirement Paul enjoyed teaching fitness classes and recently started teaching Tai Chi. Paul enjoyed being a “Big Brother” to his “little brother” Austin for the last 9 1/2 years.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Helen Black and his sister Carla Campbell.

He is survived by his two latest rescue cats Ranger and Prince, brother Frank (Amy) Black of Savannah GA, brother-in-law Dale Campbell of Mt. Pleasant IA, niece Cindy (Brian) Smith of Mt. Pleasant IA, niece Brenda (Mike) Sporkman of West Point IA, nephew Dan (Brooke) Campbell of Carlisle IA, niece Kelly (George) Barker of Jacksonville FL and nephew Jonathan Black of Ellabell GA.

A private graveside service will be held at Trinity Cemetery in Mt. Union Iowa. The Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel in Mount Pleasant is caring for Paul and his family. www.powellfuneralhomes.com

Memorials can be made out to Memorial of Paul Black and sent to Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel PO Box 656 Mount Pleasant, Iowa 52641.

Man Arrested At Casey’s After Fight With Officers

Thursday over the noon hour Mount Pleasant Police stopped a motor vehicle in the 400 block of West Washington Street for failure to have license plates.  The driver was identified as Kevin Fleming of Mount Pleasant and was known not to have a valid driver’s license.  Fleming got out of his vehicle and tried to walk away.  According to the Mount Pleasant Police report he was asked twice to get back into his vehicle but both times refused to comply, ignoring the officer’s commands. Fleming’s resistance escalated and he assaulted the officers. Several more law enforcement officers arrived and tried for several minutes to get Fleming into restraints.  He continued to fight, kicking the officers but was eventually put in the back of the police cruiser where he broke the leg restraints. At that point a transport van was requested.  Additional officers and members of the Henry County Jail staff arrived. Fleming still would not comply and continued to resist the officers. After about 45 minutes he was finally placed and secured in the back of the van. Fleming is charged with not having a driver’s license, failure to provide insurance, two counts of assault on police officers and interference with official acts with injuries. The Mount Pleasant Police Department was assisted by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Henry County Jail staff, Iowa State Patrol and several citizens who provided pertinent information at the scene or called that information in.