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Fort Madison IA Obituaries and Death Notices
Monday, February 27, 2017Southbury, CT Marcella Anne (O’Connor) Burns, 100, the widow of Thomas Francis Burns, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.Marcella was born in Fort Madison, Iowa on January 16, 1917, where she resided until her marriage, when she moved to Naugatuck. Marcella was a former communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Church, and a past member of the Naugatuck Council of Catholic Women. For approximately 25 years, Marcella was a fifth grade teacher at Central Avenue School in Naugatuck, and she took great pride in the success of her students. Retirement gave her the opportunity to pursue a new love, gardening, which was introduced to her by the Naugatuck Gardening Club, where she served as club secretary. Marcella was an avid reader and served as the secretary for Friends of the Howard Whittemore Memorial Library. Serving in both of these secretarial positions was a source of great pleasure for Marcella. Eventually she moved to The Hearth in Southbury, where she has lived for the past 15 years.Marcella is survived by her children, Attorney John H. Burns and his wife Christina of Sarasota, FL; Thomas F. Burns and his wife Elaine of Co...
Monday, February 06, 2017Rhodes.Survivors include two daughters, Debbie (Nate Stutzman) Adair of Dublin, Texas, and Helen (Terry) Wittler of Loraine, Ill.; three sisters, Dorthy Thurman of Hamilton, Ill., Nina Rubemeyer of Fort Madison and Sue Mortimer of Warsaw; four grandchildren, Gabe (Carrie) Adair of Dublin, Casey (Ande) Long of Marion, Jennifer (Steven) Dougherty and Thomas (Tori) Long of Keokuk; stepgrandchildren, Jessica (Clayton) Frese of Golden, Ill., and Amanda (Tyler) Molohon of Coatsburg, Ill.; great-grandchildren, Roger and Cassidy Adair, Trevor, Tamarie and Tyler Long, and Mack Long; two stepgreat-grandchildren, Rayanne Frese and Dominic Molohon; and many nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her parents and nine brothers, Billy, Albert, Raymond, Leonard, Charles, Floyd, Richard and Freddie Rhodes, and one in infancy.Rose Mary attended schools in Hamilton and Elvaston, Ill. She was of the Christian faith. She had been employed at Sheaffer Pen in Fort Madison and retired in 1998 from Griffin Wheel, Keokuk. She also drove a school bus for Warsaw schools.Rose Mary volunteered for Meals on Wheels and R.S.V.P. She was a past member of Keokuk Area Hospital Auxiliary and Warsaw VFW Auxiliary. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting and quilting, making many quilts for her children and grandchildren. She also donated many quilts and lap quilts to area nursing homes and to Project Linus.Rose Mary enjoyed taking her...
Monday, January 09, 2017Wisconsin.In July 2015, Kestner made national headlines for what was deemed an "ingenious" escape from one of Iowa's most secure prison cells at the state penitentiary in Fort Madison.Kestner climbed through piping and a vent to reach the roof, before climbing down the downspout. He then stole a car, and was captured hours later.Kestner again found himself at the center of scandal in an Iowa prison when the Iowa Department of Corrections said he used a "crude piece of metal" to assault a corrections officer at Anamosa State Penitentiary.Kestner was transferred to the Wisconsin institution on Nov. 21.Kestner was in the midst of a 35-year sentence for two counts of first-degree theft from Woodbury County and habitual offender and operating a motor vehicle without owner consent from Lee County.Read or Share this story: http://dmreg.co/2hWX9Iz...
Monday, January 02, 2017Kestner made headlines on July 4, 2015, when he became the first inmate in a decade to escape from Iowa's historic maximum-security prison in Fort Madison. An investigation found that he removed screws from the shower to gain access to a narrow pipe chase — an enclosed space that houses the prison's pipes. He was able to climb up until he reached the attic, then crawled through a vent to reach the roof.He descended by climbing down the building's downspout and landing outside a prison fence. He timed his escape to coincide with holiday fireworks in the hopes that guards would be distracted, and left in his bed a dummy made up of milk cartons and insulation to try to fool them into thinking he was sleeping. Kestner stole a car after his escape but was captured within hours near Geneseo, Illinois.Kestner was serving time for robbing gas stations in Sioux City, Iowa, in 2009. A judge in February extended his original 20-year sentence by 15 years after Kestner pleaded guilty to the escape and vehicle theft.Sometime after the escape, Kestner was transferred to the penitentiary in Anamosa, Iowa. In October, authorities said that Kestner managed to get out of a health services room before he assaulted a correctional officer with a crude piece of metal. The officer suffered multiple contusions to the face that required medical treatment.Kestner, who had previously attacked guards in Fort Madison, was placed in segregation after that incident. On Nov. 21, he was transferred to Wisconsin through the a href="http://www.sfgate.com...
Monday, December 12, 2016Johnson said Matlock's music could be "aggressive and so completely different from his personality."THE MOST NORMAL WEIRD GUYJason McCarty, 35, grew up in Fort Madison, Iowa, a small town on the Mississippi River where everyone knew everyone. From an early age, he impressed friends and neighbors with his drawing skills."He was incredibly talented. You could tell what he was drawing came from the deep recesses of his mind," said Chris Escobar, 36, who rode bicycles around town with him as a child, adding they were close in high school and stayed in touch throughout his life.McCarty, of Oakland, was well-liked."He can go from down-to-earth to extremely deep. It was like he was always really deep but would come to the surface when he needed to interact with others," said Escobar, who lives in Tyler, Texas. "The most normal weird guy you would ever meet. And you say weird in a loving way."McCarty moved to California after studying at Maryland Institute College of Art, according to people who knew him."He was the most inspiring person in the world," Escobar said.A BUDDING STAR IN PSYCHOLOGYJennifer Mendiola...
Monday, September 26, 2016Farnham Jr. of Rochester, Minnesota, Douglas (Janet Crossley) of Marshfield, Wisconsin, Jan (Dan) Moretz of Hanlontown, Iowa, Richard (Gloria) Reding of Stacyville, Iowa, and Robert (Linda) Reding of Fort Madison, Iowa; ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren; and one sister, Anna (Ruben) Kramer of Dubuque, Iowa.He was preceded in death by his wife, Bernice; his parents; two sisters, Mary (Alfred) Pitzen and Alvina (Adrian) Brown; and one brother who passed away as an infant.Information available and condolences accepted at www.champion-bucheitfuneralhome.comWas this article helpful? ...
Fort Madison News
Monday, February 27, 2017Southbury, CT Marcella Anne (O’Connor) Burns, 100, the widow of Thomas Francis Burns, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.Marcella was born in Fort Madison, Iowa on January 16, 1917, where she resided until her marriage, when she moved to Naugatuck. Marcella was a former communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Church, and a past member of the Naugatuck Council of Catholic Women. For approximately 25 years, Marcella was a fifth grade teacher at Central Avenue School in Naugatuck, and she took great pride in the success of her students. Retirement gave her the opportunity to pursue a new love, gardening, which was introduced to her by the Naugatuck Gardening Club, where she served as club secretary. Marcella was an avid reader and served as the secretary for Friends of the Howard Whittemore Memorial Library. Serving in both of these secretarial positions was a source of great pleasure for Marcella. Eventually she moved to The Hearth in Southbury, where she has lived for the past 15 years.Marcella is survived by her children, Attorney John H. Burns and his wife Christina of Sarasota, FL; Thomas F. Burns and his wife Elaine of Co...
Monday, February 06, 2017Rhodes.Survivors include two daughters, Debbie (Nate Stutzman) Adair of Dublin, Texas, and Helen (Terry) Wittler of Loraine, Ill.; three sisters, Dorthy Thurman of Hamilton, Ill., Nina Rubemeyer of Fort Madison and Sue Mortimer of Warsaw; four grandchildren, Gabe (Carrie) Adair of Dublin, Casey (Ande) Long of Marion, Jennifer (Steven) Dougherty and Thomas (Tori) Long of Keokuk; stepgrandchildren, Jessica (Clayton) Frese of Golden, Ill., and Amanda (Tyler) Molohon of Coatsburg, Ill.; great-grandchildren, Roger and Cassidy Adair, Trevor, Tamarie and Tyler Long, and Mack Long; two stepgreat-grandchildren, Rayanne Frese and Dominic Molohon; and many nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her parents and nine brothers, Billy, Albert, Raymond, Leonard, Charles, Floyd, Richard and Freddie Rhodes, and one in infancy.Rose Mary attended schools in Hamilton and Elvaston, Ill. She was of the Christian faith. She had been employed at Sheaffer Pen in Fort Madison and retired in 1998 from Griffin Wheel, Keokuk. She also drove a school bus for Warsaw schools.Rose Mary volunteered for Meals on Wheels and R.S.V.P. She was a past member of Keokuk Area Hospital Auxiliary and Warsaw VFW Auxiliary. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting and quilting, making many quilts for her children and grandchildren. She also donated many quilts and lap quilts to area nursing homes and to Project Linus.Rose Mary enjoyed taking her...
Monday, January 09, 2017Wisconsin.In July 2015, Kestner made national headlines for what was deemed an "ingenious" escape from one of Iowa's most secure prison cells at the state penitentiary in Fort Madison.Kestner climbed through piping and a vent to reach the roof, before climbing down the downspout. He then stole a car, and was captured hours later.Kestner again found himself at the center of scandal in an Iowa prison when the Iowa Department of Corrections said he used a "crude piece of metal" to assault a corrections officer at Anamosa State Penitentiary.Kestner was transferred to the Wisconsin institution on Nov. 21.Kestner was in the midst of a 35-year sentence for two counts of first-degree theft from Woodbury County and habitual offender and operating a motor vehicle without owner consent from Lee County.Read or Share this story: http://dmreg.co/2hWX9Iz...
Monday, January 02, 2017Kestner made headlines on July 4, 2015, when he became the first inmate in a decade to escape from Iowa's historic maximum-security prison in Fort Madison. An investigation found that he removed screws from the shower to gain access to a narrow pipe chase — an enclosed space that houses the prison's pipes. He was able to climb up until he reached the attic, then crawled through a vent to reach the roof.He descended by climbing down the building's downspout and landing outside a prison fence. He timed his escape to coincide with holiday fireworks in the hopes that guards would be distracted, and left in his bed a dummy made up of milk cartons and insulation to try to fool them into thinking he was sleeping. Kestner stole a car after his escape but was captured within hours near Geneseo, Illinois.Kestner was serving time for robbing gas stations in Sioux City, Iowa, in 2009. A judge in February extended his original 20-year sentence by 15 years after Kestner pleaded guilty to the escape and vehicle theft.Sometime after the escape, Kestner was transferred to the penitentiary in Anamosa, Iowa. In October, authorities said that Kestner managed to get out of a health services room before he assaulted a correctional officer with a crude piece of metal. The officer suffered multiple contusions to the face that required medical treatment.Kestner, who had previously attacked guards in Fort Madison, was placed in segregation after that incident. On Nov. 21, he was transferred to Wisconsin through the a href="http://www.sfgate.com...
Monday, December 12, 2016Johnson said Matlock's music could be "aggressive and so completely different from his personality."THE MOST NORMAL WEIRD GUYJason McCarty, 35, grew up in Fort Madison, Iowa, a small town on the Mississippi River where everyone knew everyone. From an early age, he impressed friends and neighbors with his drawing skills."He was incredibly talented. You could tell what he was drawing came from the deep recesses of his mind," said Chris Escobar, 36, who rode bicycles around town with him as a child, adding they were close in high school and stayed in touch throughout his life.McCarty, of Oakland, was well-liked."He can go from down-to-earth to extremely deep. It was like he was always really deep but would come to the surface when he needed to interact with others," said Escobar, who lives in Tyler, Texas. "The most normal weird guy you would ever meet. And you say weird in a loving way."McCarty moved to California after studying at Maryland Institute College of Art, according to people who knew him."He was the most inspiring person in the world," Escobar said.A BUDDING STAR IN PSYCHOLOGYJennifer Mendiola...
Monday, September 26, 2016Farnham Jr. of Rochester, Minnesota, Douglas (Janet Crossley) of Marshfield, Wisconsin, Jan (Dan) Moretz of Hanlontown, Iowa, Richard (Gloria) Reding of Stacyville, Iowa, and Robert (Linda) Reding of Fort Madison, Iowa; ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren; and one sister, Anna (Ruben) Kramer of Dubuque, Iowa.He was preceded in death by his wife, Bernice; his parents; two sisters, Mary (Alfred) Pitzen and Alvina (Adrian) Brown; and one brother who passed away as an infant.Information available and condolences accepted at www.champion-bucheitfuneralhome.comWas this article helpful? ...
