OBITUARIES

James “Jim” William Higgins, 71, of Milford, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, in his home surrounded by loved ones and supported by Hospice, after almost two years of battling lung cancer. 

Wayne R. Trigger, 89, of Spencer, passed away on Sunday, April 16, 2023, at St. Lukes Lutheran Home in Spencer.

A Funeral Mass for Dennis Giles was held on January 25, 2023, in Los Gatos, California. Per Dennis’ wishes, he will be laid to rest at St. Margaret’s Catholic Cemetery in Spirit Lake on Friday, April 14, 2023, at 2:00pm.

Shelby Lee Jones was born December 18, 1936, in his family’s farmhouse in rural Dickinson County, Iowa, the fourth of five children born to Glen and Flora (Kindlespire) Jones.

Vonice McDougall, 86, of Le Mars, Iowa, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by family, on Thursday, April 13, 2023, two days prior to her 87th birthday.

Duane Serck, 77, of Spirit Lake, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Spencer, Iowa.

Carolyn Sue Mitchell, age 78, of Sun City, Arizona, passed away peacefully at home on April 6, 2023. Carolyn was born April 15, 1944, in Martinez, California, to William Krueger and Loretta (Schiferl) Krueger.

Ben J. Gerdes, Jr., 83, of Milford, passed away on Monday, April 3, 2023, at Lakes Regional Healthcare, in Spirit Lake, surrounded by his family after a brief battle with esophageal cancer.

Roland Dean Taylor was born September 4, 1945, in Estherville, Iowa. He passed away at 77 years old on April 2, 2023.

A celebration of life will be held Thursday, May 25, 2023, at the Majestic Pavilion at Historic Arnolds Park, from 4:00-7:00pm.

Kenneth “Ken” D. Rimmer, 99, of Milford, passed away on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at his home in Milford.

Susan Sundlin passed away at home on Wednesday,March 22, 2023, at the age of 80. She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Mildred (Percival) Bibow, her sister, Mary Ellen McDonald, and four brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law.

A Funeral Service for Roger Jones, age 89, of Okoboji, Iowa, will be held at 11:30 am, Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the United Methodist Church in Spirit Lake.

Arnold William “Arnie” Pahl was born at home on a farm in rural Sutherland, Iowa, to William Henry and Anna (Giebel) Pahl on November 28, 1937.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Durick “Dirk” Hansen, 81, of West Okoboji, Iowa, was held at 10:30am, Saturday, March 18, 2023, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford.

Roger D. Swalve, 85, of Arnolds Park, passed away on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake.

Robert “Bob” Peters, 77, of Spirit Lake, passed away on Saturday, February 25, 2023, at his home, surrounded by his family.

Lois Hurd Eckman, age 94, of rural Lake Park, Iowa, died on February 24, 2023, at Accura Healthcare in Milford.

Mass of Christian Burial for Patrick “Pat” Kennedy, age 84, of Spirit Lake, will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 10:30am, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, in Milford.

Elizabeth “Betty” Joyce Nicolai, 95, of Milford, Iowa, passed away on Friday, February 17, 2023, at Accura Healthcare of Milford.

A Memorial Service for Lorraine Little, age 97, of Milford, was held on Monday, February 20, 2023, at Calvary United Methodist Church, in Arnolds Park.

Roger Lee Kloster, of Jackson, Minnesota, at the young age of 82, went to the Lord on February 10th, 2023.

Allan Heebner, son of Paul and Shirley (Eldridge) Heebner, was born on March 1, 1959, in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Shirley Werner, of Omaha, Nebraska, formerly of Okoboji and Fort Dodge, passed away on Friday, February 3, 2023, at Heritage Pointe Assisted Living in Omaha, Nebraska. 

A Memorial Service for Kenneth “Kenny” Reynolds, age 94, of Arnolds Park, was held on Monday, February 6, 2023, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. 

A Funeral Service for Jean Goetsch, age 86, of Spirit Lake, was held Saturday, February 4, 2023, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Spirit Lake.

Mark Rosener, age 56, passed away suddenly and tragically on Sunday, January 29th.

Max Hurdle, 90, of Spencer, passed away on Thursday, January 26, 2023, at St. Luke Lutheran Home in Spencer.

Clement “Clem” McCoy, 80, of Spirit Lake, passed away on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake.

A visitation for Beth Lynn Heide, age 55, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, was held Monday, January 30, 2023, at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. A Celebration of Life Gathering will be held in the summer, 2023.

Francis “Frank” Edward Kennedy, 87, of Spirit Lake, passed away peacefully at his residence on January 12, 2023.

A funeral service for Margaret “Peggy” Gunderson, 81, of Lake Park, was held Monday, January 23, 2023, at the United Methodist Church in Lake Park. Interment was at Silver Lake Cemetery in Lake Park.