Thomas “Tom” L. Rusk

Thomas “Tom” L. Rusk, 78, of Mt. Pleasant passed away on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at his home surrounded by his loving family.

Tom’s  family will host a Celebration of his Life on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at the Faith United Methodist Church in Libertyville, Iowa from 11:30 until 1 p.m. There will be a lunch served at 1 p.m. Private family burial will be held in the Grant Cemetery.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant, is assisting the family with the arrangements

Daily Jail County

Henry County Jail

In the interest of keeping Henry County residents informed, the Henry County Sheriff’s office has requested KILJ post the daily jail count. During the jail referendum campaign it was publicized that the jail would be able to house additional inmates from surrounding counties and this would generate revenue for Henry County.

Date:   04-18-2022______

  27       Henry County Inmates

 

   56       Out of County Contract Inmates              

 

  83       TOTAL

New London Woman Dies in Crash in Lee (updated)

The Lee County Sheriff’s office has released the details of a fatal crash that occurred April 15 just after 5 pm. Emergency crews were dispatched to the intersection of Highway 2 and West Point Road.  A vehicle had hit a fence in a field northwest of the intersection.  There was an unresponsive female behind the wheel. She was later identified as Luan Carol Schmitt of New London.  Schmitt was driving west on Highway 2 when she lost control.  The accident remains under investigation.

Luan Carol Schmitt (final arrangements)

Mrs. Luan Carol Schmitt, 64, of New London, died Friday, April 15, 2022 at the Fort Madison Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center Emergency Department.  She was born in Burlington on November 5, 1957 to Hugh Henry and Phyllis Marie Balzer Breuer.  She was a graduate of Harmony High School and Indian Hills Community College.  On February 11, 1978 she married Sid Schmitt at the Salem Congregational Church.  They attended Calvary Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant since 2005.

For twenty years she was a computer programmer and IT director for Murray Turbomachinery/Coppes/Tuthill, then worked as IT director for Lee County for twenty-one years retiring March 1, 2021.  Luan was a fifteen year member of the Lions club, serving as an officer, baking biscuits for the Old Threshers food tent, and was actively involved with Lions Iowa KidSight program during kindergarten roundup.  She enjoyed baking, sewing, quilting, working with flowers and gardening, playing cards, games and puzzles, traveling, Friday night supper club, going to auctions and shopping at the Dutchman’s Store in Cantril.  She loved having all of her family at her house and dearly loved her granddaughters.

Besides her husband, she is survived by three children; Ben (Ashley) Schmitt of West Point, Nathan (Christy) Schmitt of San Antonio, Texas, Brianne (Brandon) Buford of Mt. Pleasant; granddaughters, Anessa, Eleanor and Palmer; sister Linda (Lanny) Rowe of Screven, Georgia; brothers Alan (Darcella) Breuer of Palmyra, Missouri and Bruce (Shari) Breuer of Mt. Pleasant; nieces, nephews, and a host of friends.  She was preceded in death by her father, her mother Phyllis Breuer Hughes, and her brother Brian.

The funeral service for Mrs. Schmitt will be at 10:00 am, Thursday, April 21, 2022 at Elliott Chapel, New London.  Burial will follow at Burge Cemetery, rural New London.  Visitation at the chapel will begin at noon on Wednesday with the family greeting friends from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.  Memorials have been established for New London Lions Club and New London Masonic Lodge.  Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.

Wapello Business Chosen for Statewide SBDC Award

 

 

AMES, IA – America’s SBDC Iowa (SBDC) is pleased to announce that Port Louisa Transport of Wapello is the winner of the organization’s statewide April Small Business of the Month Award.

 

Port Louisa Transport is a non-medical transportation service that opened in Wapello in June of 2016. The service was opened after Tammy Keller saw a need and, without hesitation, decided to fill that need.

 

Tammy and her husband Kirk have a mentally challenged son who receives services from Hope Haven in Burlington, Iowa. The Kellers were having an increasingly difficult time finding reliable non-medical transport for their son to travel between Hope Haven and his doctors’ appointments. A counselor at Hope Haven was having a conversation with Tammy about this difficulty and jokingly said, “Why Tammy, why don’t you start a non-medical transportation company!” Tammy did not think about this idea for very long and, after discussing it with her husband, decided to look into purchasing a handicapped-accessible van. The couple purchased the van, put their own car into the fleet and began their adventure.

 

Janine Clover, Director at the Southeastern Small Business Development Center, highlights the wonderful experience of working with Tammy and Kirk. “As a counselor, you want to see businesses succeed, and it is wonderful to work with business owners and see their resilience, foresight and vision for what they want their business to become. When their vision comes true and they are successful, you know you have done your job well,” says Janine.

 

For more information on Port Louisa Transport: https://portlouisatransport.com/

 

America’s SBDC Iowa is an outreach program of Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu.

 

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, America’s SBDC Iowa has 15 regional assistance centers located strategically across the state. Since program inception in 1981, the SBDC has helped Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs through no fee, confidential, customized, professional business counseling and practical, affordable training workshops.

 

For more information on America’s SBDC Iowa programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org, https://www.facebook.com/AmericasSBDCIowa, or @IowaSBDC on Instagram and Twitter.

 

Hazel L. Roath (final arrangements)

Hazel L. Roath, 97, of Mt. Pleasant passed away on Monday, April 11, 2022, at Savannah Heights of Mt. Pleasant.

Graveside Services will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at the Grant Cemetery rural Rome, with Pastor Guy Sammons officiating.  Friends may call at the Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant on Friday, April 22, 2022, from 2 until 6.  The family will not be present.  Memorials may be directed to the Rome Baptist Church or to Grant Cemetery in her memory.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.murphyfuneralandmonuments.com

Murphy Funeral Home of Mt. Pleasant is caring for the arrangements.

 

Verna Alma Quinlin

Verna Alma Quinlin, 87, of Mt. Pleasant, died April 15, 2022, after a short illness.

Born February 7, 1935, in San Jose, California to Perry and Alma Gard. Verna graduated from Santa Clara High, Santa Clara, California in 1952.  She married LeRoy B. Quinlin on June 4, 1960, in San Jose, California and lived there until they moved to Winfield, Iowa in 1969. They had three children, Gary, Joyce, and Lisa.

She worked as an office clerk at S.H. Kress (1954-1962), and Fairchild Semiconductor Company (1967-1969), but for most of her life she was self-employed. LeRoy and Verna owned the Quinlin’s Cards and Gifts Store in Winfield, Iowa from 1971 to 1980.  Verna made various crafts for The Wooden Wheel in Kalona, Iowa for 30 years.  She shared her creativity with her family and the community through a passion for knitting baby blankets, gloves, scarves, and slippers. She was sure to provide quilts for all of her children and grandchildren.  She enjoyed reading, puzzles, knitting, embroidering, cross stitching, and spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Verna will be deeply missed by her son Gary Quinlin (Leslie Johnson) of Branford, CT, daughter, Rev. Joyce Quinlin Hunsaker (Rev. Will) of Clear Lake, IA and daughter Lisa Quinlin Diener (Dan) of Mt. Pleasant, IA. She has five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her father Perry E. Gard, mother Alma I. LeDuc, husband LeRoy, two brothers, William, and Vernon, one sister, Beverly Anderson, one stepdaughter, Debra Linville, and one granddaughter, Lynelle Hunsaker.

A service will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, April 21, 2022, at Snyder and Hollenbaugh Funeral and Cremation Services of Winfield, 102 S. Olive Street, Winfield, Iowa. Pastor Mike Johnson will officiate. There will be a private interment for the family in the Winfield Scott Township Cemetery. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sandhfuneralservice.com.

Verna would be heartbroken if a friend or family member became ill by attending her service. In her honor, the family strongly suggests that those in attendance wear an appropriate face covering.  There will be no visitation.  A general memorial fund has been set up for Verna Quinlin.

Aline G. Hesseltine

Aline G. Hesseltine, age 93, of Crawfordsville, Iowa, died Friday, April 15, 2022, at her residence following a brief illness.

Funeral services will be held 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at the United Church of Crawfordsville with Pastor Jason Collier officiating.  The family will receive friends following the committal service at the United Church of Crawfordsville.  Interment will take place at the Crawfordsville Cemetery.  Memorials have been established for the United Church of Crawfordsville.  Online condolences may be sent for Aline’s family through the web at www.jonesfh.com

Aline was born May 30, 1928, in Wellman, Iowa, the daughter of Leroy and Anna (Ossman) Kelley.  She attended country school in the Wellman area and graduated from Wellman High School in 1946.  Aline was united in marriage to Howard Lee Hesseltine on January 14, 1949, in Fairfield, Iowa.  She has lived on the same farm south of Crawfordsville since 1949.  The farm became a Century Farm, in 2018.

Prior to her marriage, Aline taught at Sockum Ridge Country School.  She was a homemaker and farmed with her husband for 15 years.  Following the death of her husband, Aline continued to farm and raise her young family.

She was an active member of the United Church of Crawfordsville where she was an Elder, taught Sunday School and helped with Vacation Bible School.  She was a member of the Rural Homemakers Club and enjoyed reading.  She enjoyed listening to and later watching “The Guiding Light”.  She always had a large garden and enjoyed raising pigs and chickens.  She enjoyed selling the eggs and visiting with anyone that stopped by.  Her motto was, “There is always work to be done if you are willing to do it”, and she was always willing.

She is survived by six children: son, Richard (Sally) Hesseltine of Iowa City, Iowa; daughter, Dianna (Rush) Brentlinger of Iowa City, Iowa; son, Glenn Hesseltine of Crawfordsville, Iowa; son, Larry Hesseltine of Crawfordsville, Iowa; daughter, Jane (Randy) Moore of Crawfordsville, Iowa; Sandra (Kevin) Smith of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; 16 grandchildren: Chad, Angie, Rush III, Jamie, Megan, Emily, Doug, Angel, Arica, Joshua, Brandon, Rachael, Michele, Bethine, Melissa and Jason; 31 great grandchildren; three great great grandchildren; three sisters-in-law, Hazel Kelley, Donna Kelley and Dee Ulin; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Aline was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, five brothers, Mervin, Orval, Arlo, Wayne and Cecil, and two sisters, Mildred and Bernice.