OBITUARIES

Brenda Milligan, 63 of Algona, passed away Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Council Bluffs. Funeral services were held on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the West Bend United Methodist Church in West Bend. Interment took place at West Bend Cemetery in West Bend. Services have been entrusted to Lentz Funeral Home of West Bend. Online condolences may be left at www.lentzfuneralhome.com.
Brenda K (Ludwig) Milligan passed away, fittingly, on her birthday, surrounded by the love of her family, a final celebration in true Brenda fashion. She always did like to have fun. She leaves behind a legacy of warmth, strength and unmistakable style.

Jean Larson, 72 of Livermore, passed away Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, at the Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 1 p.m. at Faith United Methodist Church in Livermore. Service will be lives streamed via Lentz Funeral Home’s website: https://www.hdezwebcast.com/show/jean-larson-memorial-service. A Celebration of Life will follow at Otto Field Post 415 in Livermore from 3 until 5 p.m. Services have been entrusted to Lentz Funeral Home of Livermore. Online condolences may be left at www.lentzfuneralhome.com.

Seymour Ray Hoopingarner, age 89, of Humboldt, formerly of Rolfe, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in the comfort of his home.
Funeral Service was Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Rolfe, Iowa. Pastor Don Bell officiated. Burial took place in Clinton-Garfield Cemetery near Rolfe with Military Rites by American Legion Post 25 of Rolfe. Powers Funeral Home of Rolfe, handled the arrangements.
Ray was born Jan. 4, 1937 to Isaac and Esther (Jensen) Hoopingarner in Roscoe, MO. At the age of 11, he moved with his family to the farm north of Rolfe. He graduated from the D.M.T. School with the class of 1954. He then began his farming career on the family farm.

A Memorial Service for Shari Nordlund, age 76, of Spirit Lake will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 2:00pm at the United Methodist Church in Spirit Lake. Visitation will take place prior to the service from 1:00-2:00pm at the church in Spirit Lake.
Shari Sue Nordlund, daughter of Dale and Beverly (Tinken) Weber, was born on Sept. 14, 1949, in Fort Dodge. She grew up Humboldt and earned her high school diploma.
Shari spent much of her working life in education, serving as a teacher’s associate with the Gilmore City School System for 15 years. Before beginning her career in the school system, she worked as a waitress for many years. She cared deeply about her work and the people she helped, always showing patience and kindness. She retired in 2009. Shari was also an attendee of Spirit Lake United Methodist Church.

Sally R. Amlie was born on Oct. 4, 1935 to Arthur Kenneth and Helen (Steig) Ruebel at Mason City, Iowa and died Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 at the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital.

Delores M. Telford, 95, of Humboldt, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 at Homestead Assisted Living & Memory Care of Algona.
Delores was born on June 1, 1930, in Humboldt, and baptized as a Child of God, June 22, 1930. She grew up on her parent’s farm outside of Humboldt and graduated from Humboldt High School in 1948. She lived a life deeply rooted in family, faith and the quiet joys of home. She had a gentle strength about her, steady and dependable, always present for the people she loved.

James “Jim” Kent Nielsen, 69, of Marion, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids. A Celebration of Life is being planned for a later date in Marion. A private family inurnment will take place at a later date at Union Cemetery in Humboldt.
Jim was born on Oct. 7, 1956, in Fort Dodge, the son of Anker Wester and Marian Leone (Thorn) Nielsen. He was a graduate of Humboldt High School and went on to earn his associate’s degree from Sheldon Lineman School. He then began a long career as a Lineman with Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative.
An avid sports enthusiast, Jim enjoyed participating in softball, making his mark in several leagues over the years. His competitive nature extended to hunting and games of pool and darts, where laughter and camaraderie often accompanied his time spent with friends. He also had a particular fondness for listening to blues music.

Gregory G. “Greg” Beekman, 66, of Humboldt, passed away Saturday morning, Feb. 7, 2026, while in hospice care in Fort Dodge.
Gregory was born March 16, 1959 in Storm Lake, the son of Robert and Gloria (Nielsen) Beekman. He grew up on a farm near Pocahontas and helped on the family farm. After graduation he began working for Hy-Capacity in Humboldt. Greg was united in marriage to Cynthia S. Garton on June 16, 1980 in Laurens. The couple made their home in Humboldt where they raised their family. Greg worked for 46 years at Hy-Capacity, retiring in 2025. He especially enjoyed time with his family and grandkids, watching the Iowa Hawkeyes and Hawkeye Girls, bowling, riding his Harley Davidson, trips on the bike with his friends and his bi-annual trips to Las Vegas with his wife.

Gary Herman Harders Jr., 58, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, formerly of Dakota City, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, under hospice care at Bethany Life in Story City.
A visitation and funeral service were held on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at Lighthouse Ministries in Fort Dodge with Pastor John Elkin officiating.
Gary Herman Harders Jr., the son of Gary Sr and Katheryn (Kennedy) Harders, was born June 10, 1967, in Cherokee. He was a member of the 1985 graduating class from Humboldt High School. Gary enlisted into the United States Air Force in 1985 and served as a Precision Measuring Equipment Laboratory Specialist and was discharged in June of 1988.
Gary worked as a machinist at Iowa Hydraulics in Humboldt for many years and then in the maintenance department at Elanco in Fort Dodge for many years.

Jeffrey D. McKibban, 64, of Humboldt, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Humboldt on Thursday evening, Feb. 5, 2026.
Jeffrey Dean McKibban was born July 7, 1961 in Fort Dodge, the son of Paul and Catherine (Malkmus) McKibban. He grew up in Livermore and graduated from Twin Rivers High School in 1980. Jeff enlisted in the United States Army and served in Germany. Following his discharge, he returned to Humboldt where he made his home and raised his children. He was employed for a number of years at Hy-Capacity and joined his current employer, Ag Parts in 2003. Jeff cherished time with his children and grandchildren, was a Vikings fan even when seasons were not going their way, enjoyed selling tractor clutches on E-Bay, his flower gardens, fishing and bowling. He had a knack for fixing things and never met a stranger.