Record DYERSVILLE COMMERCIAL • WEDNESDAY, JULY, 10, 20138A

Obituaries

In Loving Memory

Bill Beresford

10/24/1940 to 7/13/2003

Love Lives On

h ose we love are never

really lost to us--

We feel them in so

many special ways--

h rough family and friends

And dreams they let behind,

In beauty that they added to our

days... In words of wisdom we

still carry with us

And memories that will

never be gone. h ose we love

Are never really lost to us--

For everywhere their special

love lives on!

Dearly missed every day for

the last 10 years.

h anks for being such a great

dad and husband!

You will always be loved! 2980

08

CHRIS KLUESNER

7/13/64 to 7/22/06

When I get where I’m going,

On the far side of the sky,

The first thing I’m gonna do

Is spread my wing and fly.

When I get where I’m goin,

And I see my maker’s face,

I’ll stand forever in the light,

Of his amazing Grace.

When I get where I’m goin,

There’ll be only happy tears.

I will shed the sins and struggles

I have carried all these years.

And I’ll leave my heart wide open,

I will love and have no fear.

When I get where I’m goin,

Don’t cry for me down here.

Song by Brad Paisley

Loved and Cherished byFamily and Friends

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87

38

Michael J. Fessler

Michael J. Fessler, 61, of Durango, died Wednesday, June 26, 2013, at Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque.

Friends and relatives of Michael called from 3-8 p.m. Friday, June 28, 2013, at the Reiff Funeral Home in Farley, where a wake service was held at 7:30 p.m.

Services for Michael were held at 11 a.m., Saturday, June 29, 2013, at St. Clement Catholic Church in Bankston with the Rev. Michael Schueller officiating.

Burial will be held at a later date.He was born June 22, 1952, in Manchester, son of Robert

and Bernadette (Clemen) Fessler. He is a graduate of St. Jo-seph’s High School in Farley. On Oct. 3, 1981, he was united in marriage to Ann Krapfl at the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Dyersville. He was employed with the Dubuque County Highway Department.

Michael was a very loving husband and father. He was an avid outdoors man. He loved nature, hunting, fishing, camping, and above all, enjoyed those activities with family and friends.

He is survived by his wife, Ann Fessler, of Durango; three children: Ben Fessler (and fiancé, Carla), of Miami, Fla., Luke Fessler, of Holy Cross, and Missy (Cory) Lyons, of Stockton, Ill.; his mother, Bernadette Fessler, of Earlville; 11 siblings: Donald (Bev) Fessler, of Dundee, Bob (Nila) Fes-sler, of Omaha, Neb., Diane (Delbert) Aldrich, of Earlville, Jack (Ann) Fessler, of West Branch, Bill (Connie) Fessler, of Biloxi, Miss., Karen (Mike) Wulfekuhle, of Dubuque, Chuck Fessler, of Manchester, Mary Jo (Dana) Walhovd, of Fall Creek, Wis., Donna (Dave) Offerman, of Earlville, Cindy (Doug) Engelken, of Dyersville, and Karla (Jerry) Downs, of Delaware; his father- and mother-in-law, Merle and Donna Krapfl, of Dyersville; brothers-in-law, Gary Krapfl, of Dyers-ville, David (Kathy) Krapfl, of Geneseo, Ill., and Dan Krapfl, of Dyersville; and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his father, Robert Fessler; a sister, Sharon A. Dunkel; and a nephew, Brian Fessler.

Herman A. Birkel

Herman A. Birkel, 84, of Sherrill, passed away Wednesday, July 3, 2013, at Shady Rest Nursing Home in Cascade.

Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 13, at SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Sherrill. The Rev. Jose L. Comparan will officiate.

Burial will be in SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery, Sherrill.Friends may greet the family from 3-8 p.m. Friday, July

12, at Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 3860 Asbury Rd., Dubuque, where there will be a prayer service at 3 p.m.

Herman was born Dec. 13, 1928, in Spechts Ferry, the son of Ferdinand and Cecelia (Motsch) Birkel. He married Mary Lou Schmitt on Jan. 22, 1952, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Rickardsville.

He was a lifetime member of SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Sherrill. Herman was employed as a truck driver with Dubuque Ready Mix and Molo Ready Mix until his re-tirement. He was a member of Local 421. Herman served on the Sherrill Fire Department from 1964 to 1973.

Herman enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was also an avid euchre player, and enjoyed tending his vegetable garden. Herman loved attending his grandchildren’s ballgames.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife of 61 years, Mary Lou; his children, Philip (Punkie) Birkel, Dennis (Diane) Birkel, Scot Birkel, Karen Birkel, Nancy (Jim) Decker and Amy (Tim) Lahey, all of Sherrill; his grandchildren, Co-rey (Kelly) Birkel, of Farley, Andrea (Keith) Kluesner, of Peo-sta, Travis (friend Kimmie Breiner) Birkel, of Sherrill, Amelia (Kevin) Schwers, of Ankeny, Tammi Breitbach, of Dubuque, Nicholas (Kristi) Birkel, of Cuba City, Wis., Aaron Decker, of Sherrill, Evan Decker, of Iowa City, and Drew, Ben, Claire and Ty Lahey, all of Sherrill; his great-grandchildren, Aubrey, Aleese and Amiya Birkel, Bodie, Kogan, Ahsha and Ahnya Kluesner, Jack and Emma Breitbach, Natalie and Caleb Birkel, and the 12th great-grandchild expected in October; his brothers-in-law, James Hird, of Dubuque, and Richard (Deb) Schmitt, of Manchester; and his sister-in-law, Eileen Schmitt, of Epworth.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Brenda Birkel at birth; his sisters, Rose (Andrew) Behnke, Anna (John) Trieweiler, Mary (Lawrence) Gansemer, Louise (Joseph Becker) Meehan Becker, Elizabeth Birkel, Kathryn (Nick) Gansemer, Barbara (Francis) Stant, Malinda (Charles) Pugh, Viola (Raymond) Engler, Frances (Julius) Manders and Josphine Hird; his brothers, Joseph, Francis and Louis Birkel; and nine brothers-in-law.

Memorials may be made to the Herman A. Birkel Memo-rial Fund.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.hoffmannschneiderfuneralhomes.com.

Betty Jean Farmer

Betty Jean Farmer, 80, of Worthing-ton, died Friday, July 5, 2013, at 10:05 p.m. at Shady Rest Care Center in Cas-cade.

Friends and relatives of Betty called from 4-8 p.m., Monday, July 8, 2013, at the Reiff Funeral Home in Dyersville,

where a wake service was held at 4:30 p.m.Services for Betty were held at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 9,

2013, at St. Paul Catholic Church in Worthington, with the Rev. Noah Diehm presiding. Eucharistic ministers were El-mer Feldmann and Renee Schuster. Lector was Levi Farm-er. Placing of the Pall was done by Robert B. Farmer, Robert A. Farmer, James E. Farmer, Debbie K. Lynch and Dawn Davis. Gift bearers were Kirsten Davis and Carter Davis.

Burial was held in the church cemetery.Casket bearers for Betty were Adam Farmer, Eric Farmer,

Levi Farmer, Dustin Farmer, Allen Polfer, Brandon Lynch, Shelby Lynch and Tyler Lynch.

Betty was born Jan. 6, 1933, in Edgewood, daughter of Louis and Nellie (Bissell) Cole. She received her education in the Greeley and Manchester schools. On June 3, 1953, she was united in marriage to Robert B. Farmer at St. Mary Catholic Church in Manchester. She was a waitress for the Elite Cafe in Manchester for several years.

Betty enjoyed singing and visiting with others on her daily trips downtown and bringing treats to all the children in the neighborhood.

She was a member of St. Paul’s parish in Worthington and its Altar and Rosary Society.

She is survived by her husband, Robert B. Farmer, of Worthington; four children: Robert A. (Sally) Farmer, of Hopkinton, James E. (Sam) Farmer, of Monticello, Debbie K. Lynch (& friend, Mark McDonough), of Dubuque, and Dawn (Kevin) Davis, of Worthington; 10 grandchildren: Adam Farmer, Eric Farmer, Allen Polfer, Brandon Lynch, Shelby Lynch, Levi Farmer, Tyler Lynch, Dustin Farmer and Kirsten and Carter Davis; four great-grandchildren: Jacob, Logan and Brayden Farmer and Landon Ball; a brother, Clifford (Helen) Cole, of Manchester; and brothers- and sisters-in-law: Bill (Dorothy) Farmer, of Prairie Du Chien, Wis., Pat (Laura) Farmer, of Strawberry Point, and Carolyn Morrisey, of Marion.

She is preceded in death by her parents; a son, Steve Farmer in 1985; a grandchild, Angela Farmer; her father- and mother-in-law; two brothers, Bob (Florence) Cole and Bud (Janice) Cole; and two sisters-in-laws and a bother-in-law.

A Betty J. Farmer memorial fund has been established.Online condolences may be left for the family at www.

reifffuneralhomeinc.com.

Melvin C. Ernzen

Melvin C. Ernzen, 69, of Epworth, died Tuesday, July 2, 2013, at Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque.

Friends and relatives of Melvin called from 2-7 p.m., Saturday, July 6, 2013, at the Reiff Funeral Home in Epworth, where services were held at 7:30 p.m.

with the Rev. Michael Schueller presiding. Mel was born June 15, 1944, in Dubuque, son of Ray-

mond and Ardella (Wolf ) Ernzen. On April 16, 1966, he was united in marriage to Barbara Driscoll at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Fillmore.

Mel was employed with Tschiggfrie Excavating in Dubuque until his retirement in 2005, after which time he worked for Buck Simon Trucking.

Mel loved fishing, hunting, gardening and cutting fire-wood. He especially enjoyed spending time with his grand-children and at the Urbain Man Cave.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara Ernzen, of Ep-worth; six children: JoAnn (Rod) Kramer, Daniel (Melissa) Ernzen and Jeff (Kay) Ernzen, all of Epworth, Angie (Marty) Recker, of Peosta, Michael (Kelly) Ernzen and Michel (Kev-in) Theisen, both of Epworth; a special nephew, Brian (Lisa) Johnson, of East Dubuque, Ill.; his grandchildren, Cody and Mitchell Kramer, Emma, Erica and Isabel Ernzen, Kesha Montoya, Dameon and Caleb Ernzen, Nick, Jack and Au-drey Recker, Anna, Isaac and Owen Ernzen, Madison, Mor-gan and Derek Theisen; his step-father, Frank Connolly, of Epworth; his siblings, Loras (Debbie) Ernzen, of Dubuque, Dianne (Daryl) Kamp, of Epworth, Terri (Pat) Daly, of Far-ley, Gary (Kerry) Ernzen, of Bellevue, Shirley (Terry) Burds, of Peosta, Ken Ernzen, of Moreno Valley, Calif., and Karen (Ernie) Kluesner, of Marion; step brothers and sisters, Tim (Diana) Connolly, Larry (Connie) Connolly and Dan (Nancy Thomas) Connolly, all of Epworth, Deb Demuth, of Dubuque, Laura (Todd) Kluesner and Brenda (Marty) Oberfoell, both of Epworth, and Kim (Don) Avenarius, of Dubuque; and brothers- and sisters-in-law, Jim (Mary Jo) Driscoll, of Graf, Mike (Sheila) Driscoll, of Cascade, Marilyn Driscoll, of East Dubuque, Ill., Dennis (Gwen) Driscoll, of Epworth, Janice Koob, of Cascade, Steve (Jennifer) Driscoll, of Epworth, Christine (Dean) Schrader, of Monticello, and Jason (Kelly) Driscoll, of Norfolk, Neb.; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

He is preceded in death by his parents; and infant son, John; his grandson, Thaddeus Ernzen; his father- and mother-in-law, Bud and Katie Driscoll; a sister-in-law, Sharon Johnson; and a brother-in-law, Marty Strief.

Frank A. Kennicker

Frank A. Kennicker, 80, of Sherrill, passed away at 12:40 a.m. on Friday, July 5, 2013, at Stonehill Care Center.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 8, 2013, at SS. Peter & Paul Church, Sherrill, with the Rev. Ray-

mond A. Burkle officiating. To celebrate Frank’s life, friends visited from 1 until 7 p.m. on Sunday, July 7, 2013, at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, Dubuque, where there was a parish wake service at 1 p.m. Friends also visited from 10 a.m. until the time of services at 11 a.m. on Mon-day, July 8, 2013, at SS. Peter & Paul Church.

Burial was in North Buena Vista Cemetery. Frank was born on Feb. 8, 1933, in North Buena Vista,

son of Alfred and Bernadette (Riniker) Kennicker.Frank married Kathryn Ludovissy on April 30, 1960, in

North Buena Vista. He served in the United States Army for two years in Washington State. Frank worked at John Deere Dubuque Works for 30 years and farmed in rural Sherrill. His true passion had always been farming. Frank enjoyed gardening, fishing and playing cards with family and friends. He was a member of SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church and the Men’s Club in Sherrill and the American Legion Post 137 in Dyersville.

Frank is survived by his wife, Kathryn Kennicker, of Sherrill; his children, Duane (Brenda) Kennicker, of Sher-rill, Nancy (Thomas) Fischer, of Sherrill, Allen M. (Robin) Kennicker, of Sherrill, Judy Gaul, of Sherrill, and Lisa (Ron) Cummer, of Garber; 15 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; three brothers, Gerald (Karen) Kennicker, of Guttenberg, Clarence (Florence) Kennicker, of Holy Cross, and LeRoy (Dorothy) Kennicker, of Holy Cross; a sister, Mary (Melvin) Barth, Durango; a brother-in-law, Robert (Lucille) Ludovissy, of North Buena Vista; two sisters-in-law, Dorothy Crews, Dubuque, Eileen (Leonard) Merfeld, Dubuque.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents; four broth-ers: Edward, Raymond, Lawrence and Leon Kennicker; three sisters, Stella Bertjens, Marita Etter and Teresa He-fel; two sisters-in-law, Eunice and Irma Kennicker; three brothers-in-law, Joseph Bertjens, Samuel Etter and Robert Hefel; his father-in-law, Joseph P. Ludovissy; his mother-in-law, Lillian P. Ludovissy; and a step-son, Steven D. Ludo-vissy.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.behrfuneralhome.com.

Norma D. SchemmelNorma D. Schemmel, 76, of Farley,

died Wednesday, July 3, 2013, at 5:09 a.m. at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, of causes un-known to the doctors there and at Mercy Hospital in Dubuque.

Friends and relatives of Norma called from 2-8 p.m., Monday, July 8, 2013, at the Reiff Funeral Home in Farley where a wake service was held at 3:30 p.m.

Services for Norma were held Tuesday, July 9, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Farley with the Rev. John Haugen presiding. Lectors were Koren Schem-mel, Leasha Wiebers and Tim Schemmel. Placing of the pall was done by L.J. Schemmel and Tim Schemmel.

Burial was held in Calvary Cemetery in Cascade. Norma was born May 11, 1937, the fourth of 10 children

born to Frances “Marie” (Meyers) and Edwin Mellody in Manchester. She was educated in the Manchester school system and graduated in the class of 1956. She worked for many businesses in the area, most days working more than one job to help support her younger siblings. On Feb. 20, 1960, she was united in marriage to Lambert “L.J.” Schem-mel at St. Mary Catholic Church in Manchester. Together they owned and operated farms in the Farley area. She was a member of St. Joseph’s Parish in Farley and its Altar and Rosary Society. She volunteered as a teacher’s aide for St. Joseph’s School in Farley and St. Clement’s School in Bankston for many years.

Norma was well known for her negotiating skills, par-ticularly when buying cars, and her determination. Norma loved children and they all loved her. At any gathering, if she couldn’t be found, one need only follow the sound of little voices laughing and Norma would be in the middle of all of them. She particularly enjoyed attending her grand-children’s events and activities. She was always there for anyone in need. She was generous with both her heart and time. Mother Teresa said of charity, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” Norma gave without hesitation, both to charity and to those around her, and every act of giving was filled to the limit with love. Every life she touched is better for it.

Norma is survived by her husband of 53 years, Lambert “L.J.” Schemmel, of Farley; one son, Tim (Shane) Schem-mel, of Iowa City; three grandchildren, Ashley, Drew and Evan; two sisters, Eunice Power, of Rushville, Neb., and Carol (Ronnie) Carlson, of Cedar Rapids; four brothers, Don (Carolyn) Mellody, of Manchester, Jerry (Sharon) Mellody, of Charles City, Harold Mellody, of Cedar Rapids, and Mike (Judy) Mellody, of Dubuque; and several nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents and three broth-ers, Bobby, Clair and Denny Mellody.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Camp Courageous and Camp Albrecht Acres.

Online condolences may be left for the family at reiff-funeralhome.com.

Births

Shelly Lynne and Richard James Easton IV, of St. Paul, Minn., announce the birth of their son, Richard James Easton V. He was born July 1 at Hudson Hospital and Clin-ics. He weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 20 inches long.

Richard joins one sister, Lilynn Grace.Grandparents are Al and Carmen R. Kluesner-Digmann,

of Worthington; Robert and Rhonda Meyer, of Hopkinton; Barbara Ibhaze, of St. Paul, Minn.; and Richard and Cheryl Easton, of Flossmoore, Ill. Great-grandparents are William Kluesner, of New Vienna; Leo Meyer, of Dyersville; Ruth Jurgens, of Worthington; and Dorothy Easton, of St. Paul, Minn.

Jeff and Michelle (Hoeger) Geistkemper, of Dyersville,announce the birth of their son, Jacob Joseph. He was born June 25 at Mercy Medical Center, Dubuque. Jacob weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces.

Jacob joins a sister, Sophia, 7 years old, and a brother, Isaac, 5 years old.

Grandparents are Mark and Jayne Hoeger, of Farley, and Randy and Meg Geistkemper, of Petersburg. Great-grand-parents are Lucille Kelchen, of Farley; Ray Geistkemper, of Dyersville; and Esther Fagan, of Dyersville.

In Memory

In Memory OfDOTTIE MAIERS

Who died 10 years ago.If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane,

we’d walk right up to heaven and bring you home again.Love,Husband and families

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