Obituary
Gary S. Hall, 79
Gary S. Hall, 79
Farnhamville - Gary S. Hall, 79, passed away on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge.
Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, February 20, 2026, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Farnhamville with Pastor Aaron Zimmerman officiating. Burial will follow in Reading Township Cemetery in Farnhamville. There will be a visitation from 10:00 AM until the time of the service on Friday. Laufersweiler Palmer & Sons Funeral Home in Gowrie is serving the family.
Gary is survived by his daughters, Denise (Ryan) Moore of Gowrie, Darci (Jeff) Nemmers of Fort Dodge, grandchildren, Breann Moore (Tyler Price and Ashley Bates), Blair (Damon) Wynes, Baylee Moore (Blake Richmond), Jeff (Charity) Nemmers Jr., Trey (Kaylin) Thiele, Madeleine (Elliot) McLarty, John Nemmers, 15 great-grandchildren with 4 on the way, brother, Mike Hall of Cedar Rapids, sister, Shelly (Bill) Berger of Jefferson, brothers and sisters-in-law, Richard and Pamela Goodrich of Pleasant Hill, George and Paula Henry of Salem, VA, and nieces and nephews.
Gary is preceded in death by his wife, Sheila, parents, Raymond and Roberta (Schumann) Hall, grandchild, Catherine Nemmers, and sister-in-law, Vicki Hall.
Gary S. Hall was born on February 7, 1947, in Holstein, Iowa, and graduated from Prairie Community High School in Gowrie. Gary was united in marriage with Sheila Bowers on October 10, 1969, and the couple established their home in Farnhamville. He was employed with Farmers Co-op in Farnhamville for 35 years, retiring in 2009. Gary loved watching NASCAR and attending car shows. He was a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.
Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.
Marlys Christopher Ransom
Marlys Christopher Ransom
Marlys Christopher Ransom was born in Minneapolis, MN, May 13, 1926 to Edwin L. and Grace Johnson Christopher. She passed peacefully in her sleep on April 23, 2026.
Chris was predeceased by her parents; sister, Eileen Carlson; brother, Leighton Christopher; daughters, Judith Conway and Mary Ransom; granddaughter, Angela Brooks; great-grandson, Jake Robert Lees; great-granddaughter, Cassidy Elizabeth Lees. She is survived by her son Mike Ransom (Ann Marie); daughters, Terry Battle; Cindy Lindquist (Nels); Susy Soto (George); 12 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews and a host of friends.
The family would like to thank the staff at Trinity Grove for their loving and compassionate care of Chris for the past two years. Trinity Grove became a home to her where she was surrounded by kindness and love every day.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Trinity Grove, Wilmington, NC April 29, 2026 at 2:30 PM.
Jennifer Sue Sorenson Morrill, 80
Jennifer Sue Sorenson Morrill, 80
Jennifer Sue Sorenson Morrill, 80
Jennifer Sue Sorenson Morrill, aged 80, went to be home with the Lord on March 4, 2026, after a long health battle. She passed away peacefully, in her sleep, on her birthday. Being with her Lord and Savior Jesus - what a wonderful birthday present for her.
She was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and grew up on a farm with her three sisters. She later graduated from Luther College in Iowa, where she met her future husband, Bill Saetveit. They married in 1968, moved to Indiana, and then to Denver, Colorado.
Jennifer was a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful daughters, Amy and Stacy. She then eventually worked as an Administrative Professional in the Pulmonary Division at the University of Colorado Medical Center.
She is survived by her two daughters: Amy and Stacy; her four grandchildren: Logan, Blake, Simon and Alex; her two sisters: Jeri Peffer and Jane Mosher; and many other loved ones. She is preceded in death by her parents Alvin and Bethel Sorenson, and her sister Judy Sorenson Paski.
Jennifer enjoyed time with family, traveling, sewing, painting, and other crafts, and loved shopping on QVC!
The family will be having a small, private service, and thanks you in advance for your thoughts and prayers.
If so led, those wishing to honor Jennifer’s life can make a donation to the Alzheimer’s research organization of their choice.
Local News
Horse Sale Returns to Gowrie for the First Time Since the 1990s
For the first time in more than three decades, the 5H Auction Barn in Gowrie hosted a horse sale on May 2, drawing more than 400 people and nearly 200 head of horses. The event revived a long‑absent tradition that many residents remembered from the days when the barn was owned by John Lizer.
His daughter, Mary Lizer Patterson, recalled that her father held two horse sales each year, one in the spring and one in the fall, and believes the last sale took place in the early 1990s.
This year’s sale was organized by Storm Horse Auction, owned by Donny and Teresa Storm of Columbia, Iowa. The Storms said they were thrilled to bring the event back to Gowrie and were grateful for the strong turnout, which included buyers from out of state.
“We had buyers from all over, Washington state, Kentucky, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and more,” said Donny Storm. “We came up here for a livestock auction and Jerimiah Hall and I hit it off. We enjoy him and his family. He puts on a great sale, has a great market, and it’s a good location. We wanted to bring something back to the community that’s needed.” Read More...
SV Senior Dax Maschino Honored at Iowa Governor’s Scholar Program
Southeast Valley senior Dax Maschino was recognized on Sunday, April 26, at the Iowa Governor’s Scholar Program, held at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The ceremony, presented by Governor Kim Reynolds, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, and title sponsor Iowa Farm Bureau, honors the top academic seniors from high schools across the state.
The Governor’s Scholar Recognition Program, established in 2003, celebrates Iowa’s highest‑achieving students. Each school selects its top academic senior while the state’s 64 largest schools may select two based on the Iowa Department of Education’s BEDS enrollment data. Honorees receive a photo plaque and a certificate commemorating their achievement. Read More...
SV 3rd Graders Spread Smiles with Homemade May Baskets at Grandview Care Center
SV Dayton Elementary’s 3rd grade students spent their morning spreading kindness the old-fashioned way by delivering homemade May Baskets to residents at Grandview Care Center in Dayton.
The students carefully created the baskets by coloring paper in bright rainbow colors, cutting out the designs, and constructing them into festive May baskets. Each basket was then filled with tasty treats and decorated with colorful tissue paper flowers to make them even more special. Read more...
Sports
Resilient Jaguars Battle Through Injuries to Claim Team Title in Lake City
By Coach Swieter
The girls track team traveled to Lake City injured and banged up but ready to go compete. There were 11 girls teams in this meet so there was a lot of good competition and a good night to fine tune some things before the TLC meet next week.
As the night went on the girls were getting points in almost everything they were in and you just got that feeling that they were in the mix to be meet champions.
The night started with field events where all 3 girls scored points and got the night started off in the direction we needed to win this meet.
Madelynn Miller had her best jump of the year and placed 3rd and is now 2nd all time at SV. Read More...
Home Track Meet Sweep: JH Boys’ and Girls’ Teams Dominate, Claiming Team Champions
By Coach Peterson
The home crowd had plenty to cheer about this week as both the boys’ and girls’ track teams delivered standout performances, sweeping the competition impressively and claiming first-place finishes. Despite cooler temperatures settling over the track, the athletes turned in some of their hottest performances of the season.
The girls’ team recorded 16 personal records (PRs)—a clear sign that the hard work in practice is paying off at the right time in the season. Athletes showed grit in the cooler weather, pushing through the chill to shave seconds off times and add distance to their marks. Eighth-grader Nalayna Knuths was all smiles last night, even with the chilly air. “I really enjoy running the events I’m in because they are making me feel more confident and proud of myself. I felt really good running the 1500 last night, and the rush of excitement at the end of the race was amazing.” Along with Knuths’ PR and fourth-place finish in the mile, the 4x100 (Adley Davis, Tana Harrison, Reagan Cramer, Ryleigh Bacon) celebrated a first-place finish, and the 4x200 (Ryleigh Bacon, Anna Slinker, Reagan Cramer, Averie Kitchen), distance medley (Elyse Skoglund, Ina McGuire, Brin Alliger, Aleeyah Hoefer), and 4x400 (Kelsey Hayes, Kensley Cox, Anna Slinker, Annie Harris) all celebrated second-place finishes. Read More...