Thomas Orville Dunkin Died May 5, 2017
Thomas, age 75, died at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
He was born May 16, 1941 to Kenneth and Ruth Dunkin. Tom enlisted in the US Army in May 1959 and married Phyllis Waters on October 2, 1959. They were blessed with three children: Tina, Lisa, and Tom.
Tom retired In January 1980 as a Master Sergeant after 21 years of service. His family traveled with him all over the world including: Germany, Turkey, Ethiopia, Okinawa, and Japan. They returned to Lovilia to live. Tom worked at Star Coal Mine and trucked for Visser Trucking and Foodliner until he retired in 2003.
Besides the enjoyment of family gatherings he liked fishing, boating, and working on cars.
He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; children: Tina (Randy) Beary, Lisa Shelford, and Tom (Petra) Dunkin; nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren; and three brothers: Ken Dunkin, Tim Dunkin, and Ron Fletcher.
Funeral services were May 11 at Lovilia United Methodist Church with Randy Beary officiating. Tom was cremated following services. Burial will be at Woodlawn Cemetery in Lovilia.
A memorial was established to Hospice of Davis and Wapello County.
May he rest in peace.
Kevin Leroy Bunch Died May 9, 2017
Kevin, age 52, died May 9th at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa.
Born on April 10, 1965 to Walter and Sherry (Blomgren) Bunch in Albia, Iowa, he grew up in Lovilia. Later graduating with the Albia High School class of 1983. He worked at Allied Construction and was an apprentice working to be a journeyman when he was injured.
In March 1986 he married Tammy Robinson and they had one child, Whitney.
He was a member of the Carpenters Union #106 in Des Moines. After his injury, he received lessons and became a talented mouth painter.
In high school he competed in wrestling and made it to the state tournament in his sophomore year. He and a friend modified a gun so Kevin could still enjoy hunting. Kevin liked fishing and out of doors and time spent with family and friends.
He is survived by his daughter, Whitney (P.J.) Tedford of Jacksonville, Florida; his mother, Sherry Clark of Centerville; four grandchildren: Leah, Abigail, Elayna, and Caroline; brother, Steve (Dawn Worthington) Bunch of Lovilia; sister, Michelle (Hugh) Scieszinski of Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
The Bunch family thanks all the caregivers who gave Kevin wonderful care over 31 years.
Funeral services were May 13, 2017 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Albia with Pastor Roger Henry and Pastor Lynda Carlson officiating. Burial followed the service at Woodlawn Cemetery in Lovilia, Iowa.
May he rest in peace.
Edith Elnora Blomgren Died May 25, 2017
Edith, age 99, died on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at the Monroe Care Center in Albia, Iowa.
She was born April 5, 1918 in Mahaska Country to Roy and Nellie (Cain) Scott. She went to Albia High School and then received her teaching certificate. She later earned her bachelors degree from Drake University.
Edith married Elmer Keeton September 28, 1941. They were blessed with two sons: Joe and Dennis. Elmer died Nov. 21, 1975. She later married Wilmer Blomgren on Jan. 19, 1980. He died Feb. 21, 1997.
She taught school in one room country school and then in Monroe, Marion, and Mahaska counties for many years. Edith was also a member of Eastern Star and the VFW Auxiliary. She was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Albia and in later years she attended Lovilia United Methodist Church.
She is survived by her two sons: Joe Keeton of Newton, Iowa and Dennis (Beth Ann) Keeton of Greensboro, North Carolina. She also has five step children: Mary Sue Slay, Wilmer “Junior” Blomgren, Jerry Blomgren, Sherry Clark, and Judy Jones. She is blessed with five grandchildren and many great grandchildren. Siblings surviving are: Charles (Rose Mary ) Scott of Albia; Richard (Mary) Scott of Saucier, MS; Raymond (Emily) Scott of Cape Girardeau, Mo; and Alice Fontanel of Payson, AZ.
Funeral services were June 1, 2017 at the Lovilia United Methodist Church with Rev. Raymond Doser officiating. An Easter Star Service was also held. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery in Lovilia, Iowa.
May she rest in peace.
Wiley Hutchinson Died June 3, 2017
Wiley, age 82, died on June 3, 2017 at the Hospice house in Ottumwa.
He was born March 14, 1935 to Lloyd and Mabel (Davis) Hutchinson at his home in rural Mahaska County. He grew up and attended Lovilia High School graduating with the class of 1954. On Oct. 30, 1954 he married Ruth Elizabeth Detar.
They had two children: David and Debra. Wiley and Ruth shared 62 years of marriage until she died in February 2017.
Wiley farmed his whole life and drove semi-trucks part time. He also won many awards as a well known square dance caller and was inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Walk of Fame in 2005 and the “Caller-Cuer Hall of Fame Award” in 2011. Wiley and Ruth traveled and hosted square dance events from Iowa to Texas. He also initiated and hosted the Border Fest Square Dancing Event in Mexico for over 20 years. He enjoyed attending grandchildren’s sporting events and family time.
Wiley is survived by his son, David (Melinda) Hutchinson of Lovilia; daughter, Debra (Cory) House of Ottumwa; nine grandchildren: Dustin (Karrie) Hutchinson, Ken Hutchinson, Jess (Alana) Hutchinson, Austin Hutchinson (Sarah Kahler), Tyler Crall (Jessica Brady), Josie (Brock) Davis, Cody House, Kaylee House and Makenna House; and six great grandchildren. His brother, Donnie (Beverly) Hutchinson also survives.
Funeral services were June 6, 2017 at Tharp Funeral Home in Albia, Iowa with Pastor Roger Henry officiating. Burial was after the service in Woodlawn cemetery, Lovilia, Iowa.
May he rest in peace.
New Home Owners In Lovilia
The Leon Chamberlain home, two doors north of the funeral home, has been purchased by Mark Seavey and Danny Johnson.
The home for years, the Romanco house, south of Jack Tuttle and north of Ben Pettyjohn on a dead end street, has been purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Bowman.
Welcome to these new home owners and we hope you will enjoy living here in Lovilia.
New Garages in town
Shelly Beary has a new four door garage erected across the street from her home and includes a paved driveway. A nice addition to the area.
Milo Comstock has a new garage next to his driveway which will be an asset to his property.
Beary’s Tour the Netherlands
David and Susan have returned from three weeks in Nijmegen, Netherlands visiting their daughter and son in law. Both have jobs and after living there two years decided to buy a home there. They have a narrow , three story house, as do most people because they are taxed for each foot of width to the house but not on its height . Therefore everyone builds up and not out! Bus and train service is excellent and you can catch one about every fifteen minutes. They live two blocks from the bus stop. But like most people they ride bikes to work and everywhere else. It is common to see men in suits and ties and women in dresses riding their bikes. Gas is expensive and car costs are too so most prefer to bike. We biked too while there and it is easy as the country is flat. Hills are rare. People even grocery shop by bike and have a basket or saddle bags to haul their produce home. There are local bakeries and butchers in every neighborhood but also good size grocery stores also. In three weeks we never saw a police car or a policeman. Yet the crime rate is low and we felt safe traveling by bike or foot even at night. It is a nice place to visit if you like to travel. Bedankt (thanks)