Category: Family News

A Hearty Holiday Greeting from Judy (Becker) Bryant and Family!

If you want to catch up on their comings and goings in 2022 you can read their holiday letter and see their photo collage.

Beloved mother, wife, sister and grandma, Barbara Ann Bode Muller died on April 17th, 2022, Minneapolis Minnesota.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri on 10/28/29 to Loretto and Clem Bode, Barb moved with her family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where she attended Mount Mercy high school and college. After graduating from Mount Mercy in 1949, Barb taught fourth grade at Sacred Heart in Oelwein, Iowa.

On June 9, 1951, Barb married Thomas F. Muller in Cedar Rapids. They celebrated 53+ years together, also living in Iowa Falls, Anamosa and Manchester, Iowa. While raising her family she restarted her career as a librarian at Manchester Public Library during the late 60s. After moving to Coralville, Iowa in 1970 she worked for a short time at the Coralville Public Library and then at McGurk Myers as a payment clerk. Barbara retired as a Surgery Billing Clerk from University of Iowa Hospitals.

Barbara was an integral part of a loving marriage and a supportive partner. During time spent raising her family and working, indoors, Barbara was an avid reader and greatly enjoyed the New Yorker and Atlantic magazines. She followed politics closely and always had Iowa Public Radio on in the background. Outdoors, she loved gardening, and she had a special amazement for the great creations of nature and humankind. Her love of nature and especially birds was passed down to her children.

Another part of Barbara’s legacy was her excellent cooking. Honorable mentions are, Texas Sheet Cake, Brownies (no frosting necessary!) and Aunt Selma’s Best Oatmeal Cookies. Barbara was understanding and sympathetic to the underdog. Somewhat melancholy, humble almost to a fault, and always full of gratitude. If you were a “sweetheart”, “sweet pea”, “spirit” or a “rabbit” you were in her magic circle.

She will be missed greatly by her family and loved ones. Survivors include children: Tom Jr. (Tricia), Sara, John (Aida), and Paul. Sisters, Mary Ellen (Jim), Ginny (Tim), brothers Phillip (Jan), and Kevin. Sister-in-law, Nancy (David). Grandchildren: Ian, Laura, Brianna, Meggan and Evan. Special nieces: Julie Browning (Bruce) and Kim Newcomb (Steve), and favorite son-in-law, Doug Smith. Barbara was preceded in death by husband, Tom Muller, brother David Bode and Clem and Loretto Bode.

The family would like to express extra gratitude to Bonnie and Eric Weldon for their above and beyond care of Mom at her home in Iowa City. In Richfield, Minnesota we are grateful to the Pines and Havenwood facilities. We are especially grateful for the Memory Care staff at Havenwood for their loving attention to Barbara.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to the charity of your choice. Inurnment for Barbara and Tom is scheduled for 2pm, Saturday, October 8th, 2022, Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Berniece Ann “BC” Hansen, 94 passed away peacefully after a short illness on Monday, January 17, 2022 at Legacy Pointe senior living community in Iowa City.
Berniece was born in Madison County and grew up in Winterset, Iowa. Her mother died when she was a young teen and her father worked for Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression as she and her siblings persevered through many of life’s challenges. She was tough yet kind, gentle and compassionate. She attended Winterset High School and played guard on the girls’ basketball team, was a cheerleader and named Homecoming Queen her senior year.
Berniece met the love of her life, Bud Hansen, in Winterset and after World War II they were married in 1947 and moved to Iowa City. She established an in-home daycare where she lovingly molded children’s’ lives for decades, including her two grandchildren. Berniece became known to many as “BC” which was a name created by her daycare children who had difficulty pronouncing her name, Berniece. Many of her daycare children and their families have continued to be an important part of her life long after going to “BC’s House”.
BC and Bud were avid Hawkeye fans and were season ticket holders for football and men’s basketball. One of their favorite Hawkeye events was attending the Rose Bowl in 1982. At the time when they gave up their season tickets for football, they enjoyed tailgate parties for every game at their daughter’s house. They remained season ticket holders for basketball until just a few short years ago. They were also loyal Little Hawk fans at City High following their grandsons’ sports of football, wrestling, and baseball.
BC and Bud were long-time members of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Iowa City where they once served as deacons and BC was active in the women’s ecumenical bible study group. The couple also looked forward to every Saturday morning to join their friends at Hy Vee for breakfast. BC continued this tradition after Bud passed away in 2018 up until the onset of the pandemic in 2020. They were also faithful patrons of Pagliai’s Pizza and Midtown Restaurant every week.
In 1985 and 1989, BC and Bud landed their dream job of becoming grandparents and were blessed with two grandsons. One of the highlights of their lives was being the ring bearer and flower girl at their youngest grandson, Drew and Sarah’s wedding in 2017 just nine days after becoming great grandparents to Brock and Heather’s daughter, Nora. BC and Bud celebrated 71 years of marriage in 2018 when Bud passed away just seven days later.
BC will be remembered as a great woman who cared and loved deeply. Those left to cherish her memory include her son Mike Hansen and daughter Soni Harney of Iowa City, and her daughter Sue Hansen (Tom Van Coillie) of Fairfield, Iowa, grandsons Brock (Heather) Harney of La Crosse, WI and Drew (Sarah) Harney of Tiffin, IA, great grandchildren Nora Claire and Conor Vincent Harney of La Crosse and Jack Philip and Cole Michael Harney of Tiffin, sisters-in-law Ruth Dorrell of Winterset, IA, Darlene (Graham) Crow of San Antonio, TX, and Shirlee Hansen of Portland, OR and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bud; her parents, Warren and Rachel Dorrell, sister Margaret and brother-in-law Lenard Binns, brother Rex Dorrell all of Winterset; son-in-law Phil Harney of Iowa City, sister-in-law Arlene and brother-in-law Carroll Troyer of Iowa City, brothers and sisters-in-law Melvin and Viva Hansen and Vona and Jack Willis all of Des Moines, IA; and brother-in-law Jack Hansen of Portland, OR.
The family wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the medical team of doctors and nurses and the palliative care team at UIHC, and the care team at Legacy Pointe and Iowa City Hospice during BC’s final days. We are beyond grateful. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Iowa City Hospice and because of BC’s love of children and the Hawkeyes, the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Judy has shared two photos from her very busy and event filled year. Here they are, described by Judy in her own words.

One photo is from Ben’s May graduation (from L-R Sam who is currently a law student, Ben who is currently in a master’s program to become a high school physics teacher, me, and my husband Dave) 

The other photo is from Thanksgiving, showing the four Bryants,, plus the boys’ girlfriends and our dog, Ranger.

Dave :

Once again, thanks for all you do keeping our class together.

In response to your retirement query, I think the most important thing you can do is keep busy with something, part time work, hobby- etc.  I have been retired since 2013 and thought I would keep busy playing golf.  I didn’t realize the 110 degree heat in Phoenix wouldn’t be that much fun to play in…hence our move to the 5300 ft elevation in Prescott.  

As you know, I did return to coaching runners in 2016 at Embry Riddle University but got tired of the covid B.S. and re-retired in 2020.  I helped out as a volunteer this summer and early fall at Embry Riddle again with pre-season training but they hired a full time assistant coach so I stepped down and am back on the links! 

I am learning to work on old cars, have a ’55 Ford and a ’28 Model A that I am “practicing on”.  Our son is a mechanic so he can fix anything I screw up!  Tami (Thompson ’78) and I also spend quite a bit of time at our cabin near the Grand Canyon as well as spoiling our two grandkids.

Life is good!  And, after 34 years working in the public sector, the best thing I can say about retirement is that you don’t have to be nice any more to people you can’t stand!!!

Cheers!

Don and Tami Rinehart

Doris Lucille Barnes, 94, died Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at Mercy Hospital following a short illness.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 AM, Monday, July 19, 2021 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Iowa City, with Father Stephen Witt officiating. Visitation will be from 9 to 10 AM, Monday, prior to the Mass. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Coralville. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Mary’s Church or Iowa City Hospice.

Doris was born on May 24, 1927, in Oxford, the daughter of Robert and Helen (Klein) Meade. She was a graduate of Cosgrove High School, attended Mt. Mercy College and received an associate degree from Kirkwood Community College.

Doris married Albert L. Barnes, Sr. on January 27, 1946, in Clinton, Iowa. They resided in Oxford until 1960 when they moved to Coralville.

Doris was employed in data input at ACT, retiring in 2011. She was a member of St. Mary’s Church, the Iowa City Women’s Bowling League, and the Coralville American Legion Auxiliary.

Doris enjoyed knitting and time spent with her family. She was proud to reside in and be a part of the Coralville community. Doris recently rode in the Coralville July 4th parade.

Doris is survived by her six children, Al Barnes (Lori Schultz) of Sunrise Beach, MO, John (Marianne) Barnes of Swisher, Bonnie (Guy) McFarland of Iowa City, Jim (Jan) Barnes of Riverside, Deb (Bob) Rogers of Iowa City, and Kevin (Lisa) Barnes of Iowa City; 15 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren; her siblings, Thelma Kolar of Oxford, Jane Dostal of Grinnell, and Bob (Lee) Meade of Oxford.

Doris was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, 4 grandchildren, and her sister, Miriam.

Hey Dave –

Well, I’ve been on a whirlwind trip to Colorado Springs and back – 17 days by my Rav 4.  My son was rear ended last late October. He wasn’t feeling up to par and decided to continue some therapy with a chiropractor. After 4 months of seeing him and not feeling any better, and in fact worse, he requested an MRI. The doctor who was caring for him said OK.

Well, the MRI didn’t happen after nearly 40 days and Mike complained royally. The doctor basically said, well, 2 out of 3 problems fixed isn’t all that bad, just resume your normal activities and you’ll probably feel better.  Mike did, and on May 3 called me crying in pain, saying his left leg had collapsed under him, he was on the floor, dragging himself to the front door to unlock it so he could get to the ER somehow – by EMS/ambulance or a friend.  He said mom, you need to come out.

Mom and I packed our bags and off we went in my Rav 4 to Colorado. We arrived by noon on the 5th. Mike couldn’t walk at all on the left leg and was using crutches and was in a lot of pain and very disoriented. First thing I did was get his meds, put alarms in his phone for what he was to take when, how much and with or without food. 24 hours later he was a very different person already. I couldn’t believe it. I’m sure us being there was part of it, but he wasn’t taking good care of himself due to the amount of pain he was in.

I had picked up a deluxe air mattress on the way because I knew he didn’t own a bed, he sleeps in a hammock. Well, 18″ off the floor wasn’t good for mom at 86 and I had to gait belt her and get her to her feet each time she needed to get up for any reason, which was sometimes four times a night. That wasn’t working after several nights, including getting her up from his low couch, so I rented a firm recliner and a queen bed and a frame. That saved us both!

Long story short, a week later I had to take him to the ER and he ended up having emergency surgery – a discectomy, where they shave bone upper and lower and then trim the herniated disc. The procedure took 35 minutes, and the next day when I went to sit with him until released, when I got to the hospital, he was walking the hallway with a walker with the PT person. I stood there and cried. I never dreamed he would be walking by the time we had to leave.

He’s been unemployed since November, so I did a lot for him while there. Got him a different pair of crutches that works better for him and easier on his arm pits, a shower stool, an office chair since he couldn’t use his balance ball, a tall swivel chair with padded seat and back for sitting at the kitchen counter to prep foods or at the stove to cook, filled his freezer with meats and vegies, and cleaned his apartment and took care of him until he was good to be on his own. All he can’t do is laundry because of the bending. He’s got BLT regulations, no bending, lifting or twisting. His neighbor is taking his garbage out for him. He sees the surgeon Tuesday again, an attorney Wednesday for negligence with the chiropractor who told him to resume and never got the MRI, and another attorney Friday who was working his case from the person who rear ended him back in October. I’m just glad he’s walking and will get better with a lot of PT in his future, some for life.

Because of covid and many other things, we hadn’t seen him for 2 years and 4 months, so it was long overdue. He hated to see us leave, but yesterday he sent me a photo of a kitty – he got a kitty from the shelter and is feeling better mentally and emotionally. It’s very lovey dovey and he’s thrilled to own a cat again.  He makes rent and groceries refurbishing Wii machines which he can still do, thank goodness.

My mom celebrated her 87th birthday out there. God bless her – she did better than I expected, but has a long haul of getting some strength back now that we are home 17 days later. If anyone would have said I was going to Colorado at the end of a pandemic, I would have said they were crazy – if they said I was driving it I’d say they were nuts, and if they said I was taking my 87 year old mother with me, I’d call them insane. It sure challenged me in many ways but we made it and Mike is on the road to recovery.  Many blessings to be grateful for.
Feel free to post. I’m exhausted yet and just taking good care of myself this week until I get my senses back from it all. What a whirlwind!!!

Glad Isaiah has so much support – it’s so important.

Ruth

Matthew J. Stasi, 58 of Austin, Minnesota passed away on May 17, 2021 after a battle with cancer.

Matthew James Stasi was born on July 27, 1962, in Oelwein Iowa, the son of John and Norma Stasi. On June 30, 1984, Matt married Kristi Scott at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Iowa City, Iowa.

Matt earned his degree from the University of Iowa in Industrial Engineering and started his career with Hormel Foods in January 1985. He worked for Hormel 36 years as an Industrial Engineer, Manager, and then Director of the Industrial Engineering Department.

Matt was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Austin.  He served on the parish council and he and Kristi participated in a pilgrimage to Italy in 2019. Matt was also a member of the YMCA where he loved to workout and served as a board member for 8+ years.

In addition, he was a member of the Austin Country Club where he spent many hours playing golf with his family and friends. Matt loved Hawkeye sports as well as the Chicago Bears, Cubs, and Blackhawks. However, Matt’s true passion was pheasant hunting. He was introduced to pheasant hunting by his brother, John, and spent nearly every fall weekend since then hunting from dusk to dawn with a pit stop at Casey’s for pizza.

Matt is survived by his wife, Kristi; three children, Courtney (Zach) Lundquist, Jordan Stasi (fiancée Natalie Pascutoi), Lauren Stasi (fiancé Andrew Huff), and grandson, Haakon Lundquist; father, John Stasi; siblings, Mark (Renee) Stasi, John (Lori) Stasi, Ann (Stephen) Phillips, Amy (Bob) Forte, Jennifer (Dennis) Beaver, Jacqueline (Matt) Kienzle.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Norma Stasi, and father-in-law, Richard Scott.

Mass of Christian Burial was held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, May 21^st at St. Augustine Catholic Church with Father James Steffes officiating.  Interment followed at Calvary Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to St. Augustine Catholic Church, Pheasants Forever, and the Austin YMCA.