Gary J. Kurka

Sept 15 1955 – August 30, 2013

son of Charles and Vera (Faltus) Kurka, was born September 19, 1955 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He graduated from Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids. He attended Minnesota Bible College in Rochester, Minnesota receiving his degree in Religion and Biblical Studies. Gary was united in marriage to Mary Jo Burch on December 27, 1975 in Sheldon, Wisconsin. He served as a pastor in churches in Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota. Gary also taught school, coached basketball, and worked for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He was very devoted to the care of his wife Mary Jo who battled ALS for 14 years before her death on September 6, 2011. Gary was currently serving as the pastor of Preston Christian Church near Bruce, South Dakota. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2013 and died on Friday, August 30, 2013 in Sioux Falls at the age of 57 years.

Gary’s main passion in life was sharing Jesus Christ with others. He also enjoyed woodworking, gardening, music, watching his sons play sports and making Christmas wreaths as gifts to others. Gary can be described as a person who loved talking to people, lending a helping hand and was a friend to all he met.

Grateful for having shared his life are his fiancé Luann Hughbanks of Bruce; one daughter Sara Strickfaden and her husband Kyle and their children, Grace, Noah, Jack and Kate from Norwood Young America, MN; three sons, Will of Marshall, MN, Grant and Ethan of Bruce; one brother Bob Kurka and his wife Bev of Lincoln, IL; one sister Sherry Pierson and her husband Brian of North Mankato, MN; his mother-in-law Ruth Burch of Ladysmith, WI; three brothers-in-law, Scott Burch and his wife Pauline of Eau Claire, WI, Bob Burch and his wife Dutch of Tomah, WI, Jeff Burch and his wife Brenda of Garretson, SD; one sister-in-law Chris Tippetts and her husband Brian of Holmen, WI; several nieces and nephews; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Gary was preceded in death by his wife Mary Jo, his son James, his parents and his father-in-law Jim Burch.

Funeral services are scheduled for 11:00 AM, Monday, September 2, 2013 at the Estelline School Gymnasium. Visitation will be from 4PM to 7PM Sunday at the Preston Christian Church, rural Bruce, South Dakota. Burial will be at Woodlawn Cemetery, Sheldon, Wisconsin.

Gary Kurka Memorial Donations. Sorry this information has been a bit slow in coming. Please send any donations to Gary's daughter for 3 ministries he designated. Please note on your check 

"Pastor Gary Kurka Memorial Donation"

Sara Kurka Strickfaden 

510 Central Ave S 

Norwood Young America, MN 55397

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuBH7KrCfGg

A Family's Will

Lou Gehrig’s disease limits Mary Jo Kurka’s mobility, but it hasn’t kept her from enjoying her son Will’s memorable senior year

April 15, 2010

By Matt Dahlseid mdahlseid@marshallindependent.com

http://www.marshallindependent.com/page/content.detail/id/516179/A-Family-s-Will.html

Return to normalcy for Kurka

http://www.marshallindependent.com/page/content.detail/id/532545.html

http://geisefuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/GeiseF1/obit.cgi?user=1078267Kurka

Peter Wayne Ludwick March 7, 1955 ~ June 27, 2013

Peter Wayne Ludwick

March 7, 1955 ~ June 27, 2013

Peter Wayne Ludwick, 58 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa died Thursday, June 27, 2013 at Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo.

He was born March 7, 1955 in Cedar Rapids son of Morris and Iola Harriet Pike. He married Jeannine Johnson in 1976 in Iowa City, Iowa and they were later divorced.

Peter attended University of Iowa and studied fine arts. He was employed in maintenance with the Cedar Rapids Community School District. Peter (Pete) enjoyed the outdoors and especially loved fishing. In his spare time he loved painting, fine arts and making people laugh.

Preceded in death by his parents and sister Cathy Alrich. Survivors include two daughters, Rachael (Adam Kennedy) Ludwick of Seattle, Wash. and Cara (Michael) French of Portland, Ore.; two brothers, James Ludwick of Mason City, Iowa and Alan Ludwick of Mesquite, Texas and a sister, Anne (Tom) Abernathy of Fremont, Ind. Pete is also survived by his significant other, Robyn Furmanski of Cedar Rapids.

Pete will be laid to rest at the Linwood Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2013 at 1pm at the Linwood Cemetery.

Gerald Waddington 6-30-1954 ~ 5-26-2013

                Gerald L. "Jake" Waddington

Gerald L. “Jake” Waddington, 58, of Marion, Iowa, a longtime resident of the Cedar Rapids area, died Sunday, May 26, 2013, at home after a lengthy illness. 

Survivors include his wife, Frances; son, Bryan Marti (Alisha Schminkey) of Marion; grandson, Caston “Will” Schminkey; and two sisters, Becky (Lon) Scriven of Walker and Heather Xayasouk (Mike) of Brandon., and brother, Roy (Lori) Morarie, Jr. of Cedar Rapids.
Born June 30, 1954, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Jake was the son of Donald Waddington and Velma Morarie. 

On June 5, 1994, he was united in marriage to Frances Waddington in Cedar Rapids. 

http://www.murdochfuneralhome.com/book-of-memories/1594639/Waddington-Gerald/obituary.php

He attended Jefferson - Not sure he graduated with us.

Kim Kuda 12-29-54 ~ 5-14-2013

Kim Allen Kuda, 58, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed peacefully at his home Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Funeral Services: 2:00 p.m., Saturday, May 18, 2013, at St. Ludmila Catholic Church, 218 21st Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, by Rev. Dennis Juhl. Visitation: 4 to 9 p.m., Friday, May 17, 2013, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 520 Wilson Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, where a rosary service will be held at 4 p.m. and a vigil service at 8 p.m. Burial: Linwood Cemetery, Cedar Rapids.

Survivors include his wife, Monica; mother, Phyllis (DeShaw) Kuda; four wonderful children, Kymberly, Dillon (Easton), Jeff (Angie) and Aaron (Jess) all of Cedar Rapids; brothers, Terry (Janet), Rick, Dan (Julie) and Jeff (Sandy) also of Cedar Rapids; and his uncle, David Kuda.

Kim was preceded in death by his father, William Allen Kuda on July 19, 1985.

Kim was born December 29, 1954, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He graduated from Jefferson High School in 1973. He had an undefeated wrestling season and was a city champ wrestler. He played the drums in a band and was a talented gymnast. He married Monica Emerson. Kim graduated from trade school on June 11, 1975, and was a member of Local 125 Plumbers and Pipefitters for 38 years. He enjoyed fishing, family and friends. Kim never missed a school event for his children. He also enjoyed gardening and woodworking.

He was loved by all and will be missed.

http://www.obitsforlife.com/obituary/706104/Kuda-Kim.php

Faculty @ Jefferson Gymnastic Coach ~ Tom Novak ~ Sept 19, 1932May 4, 2013

Thomas Lee Novak

Thomas Lee Novak, 80, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died Saturday, May 4, 2013, surrounded by family members in his home. Services: 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 9, 2013, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home, Cedar Rapids, by Rev. Thomas Osterkamp. The family will greet friends from 4 to 8 pm Wednesday, May 8 at the funeral home. Military Honors will be conducted by the VFW Post 788. Burial: Linwood Cemetery, Cedar Rapids.
Survivors include his wife of nearly 57 years, Della; his children, Victoria (John) Daniel of Appleton, Wisconsin, Lee (Jossy) Novak and Lori (Brian) Long, both of Cedar Rapids; his granddaughter, Lexi Novak; three brothers, Jim (Rosemary), Melvin, both of Cedar Rapids and Ted (Ellyne) Novak of Sacramento, California; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and sister-in-law, Lois Novak.
Tom was born September 19, 1932, the son of Frank and Matilda (Triska) Novak, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He served his country in the United States Navy during the Korean Conflict. On September 2, 1956, Thomas was united in marriage to Della Dostal at the Trinity Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids.
Tom enrolled in the Dale Carnegie classes. The result of this class was his becoming class champion. This inspired him to enroll at the University of Iowa, where he received his Master’s Degree in Physical Education in 1960. Tom was a member of the U of I gymnastics team and was co-captain of the 1958-59 team. He went on to teach physical education for the Cedar Rapids School District, where he also coached track, wrestling and gymnastics. Some of his accomplishments at Jefferson High School was winning two state championship titles. Tom also coached Sokol gymnastics for many years. He retired from the school district in 1990.
He loved running 5K and 10K races where he won many awards. Tom looked forward to participating at the Iowa Senior Olympic Games in Des Moines. He was a member of the Cedar Valley Running Association. Many members said Tom was an inspiration to them all. Tom enjoyed many vacations to Disney World, Florida and Texas with his family. He also loved spending time with his granddaughter, Lexi and enjoyed watching her play sports. After his retirement, Tom continued his passion for gymnastics by working with young gymnasts at Somersault Gymnastics for many years. He also was employed by Hy-Vee for ten years.
Tom was always known as a very kind and generous person who was always willing to help people. Tom will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Good News Baptist Church, 1203 3rd Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404, in memory of Tom.

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Thomas Lee Novak please visit our Sympathy Store.

Linda Dighton 8-27-1954 ~ 5-3-2013

Linda Dighton

 1971 Year Book [ photo taken 1970]

http://hosting-tributes-24339.tributes.com/show/Linda-Lou-Dighton-95760809

Linda Lou Dighton, 58, of Cedar Rapids passed away Friday, May 3, 2013 at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. A celebration of life party will be held Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 1pm to 4pm at the Tower Terrance Mobile Home Park Convention Hall in Hiawatha, IA.

Linda Dighton was born on August 27, 1954 in Cedar Rapids, IA, the daughter of Vernon and Ethel (Peterson) Dighton. She was a loving mother all of her life.

Linda is survived by her sons, Josh Bosier (Amber) and Silas Gentz; her granddaughters, Mikki Bosier and Alayah Gentz; her grandson, Lucas Bosier; her brother, Joe (Carol)Dighton of Cedar Rapids and her sisters, Mary (Rick) Randall of Cedar Rapids and Joyce (Bob) Slaymaker of Hiawatha.

Linda was preceded in death by her parents, one brother, and one sister.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to 808 30th Street Drive SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403.

Ruth Ellen Kinzey Book Publication

                      Celebrating the publication of my book with College of Charleston's Dr. Beth Goodier.

                          Promoting Nonprofit Organizations: A Reputation Management Approach

http://www.amazon.com/Promoting-Nonprofit-Organizations-Reputation-Management/dp/0415899273

Cathy Sylvester Faulkner

Local woman has kept cancer at bay

Cathy Faulkner, of Cedar Rapids, feels her positive attitude has kept her going

Over the past 10 years, Cathy Faulkner, of Cedar Rapids, has been diagnosed with cancer three times. But she hasn’t let it defeat her, or crush her zest for life. Instead, Faulkner believes her upbeat attitude has helped her persevere.

Faulkner, 57, was diagnosed with colon cancer — what she calls “pain in the butt cancer”— 10 years ago. She first started to sense something was wrong when she felt uncomfortable sitting in the stands at her daughter’s games. “I was having problems, but I didn’t have a clue it was cancer.”

Over the years, Faulkner’s colon cancer has spread to her lungs and to her brain. She’s had six or seven surgeries — a complete colostomy, surgery to remove the brain tumor, to put in ports and to place a prosthetic plate in her skull. Faulkner estimates she’s been x-rayed — MRI, CT, and PET scans — some 70 times. And she’s been through countless rounds of radiation and chemotherapy that she is grateful to have tolerated well.

Through it all, however, Faulkner keeps her spirits — and her sense of humor — up.

Pointing to the scar on her left temple, Faulkner talks about when her brain tumor was removed. “When this wasn’t healing, they took a skin graft out of my leg and an artery out of my arm. So if I itch my arm here, my head starts to itch there,” she jokes.

Speaking seriously, Faulkner says, “I believe in prayer and positive attitude. I’ve been through so much, but I’d sit up there in the hospital during my treatments and I’d see people who were way worse off. I’ve come through major surgeries with very little pain. I’ve been blessed.”

Faulkner and her husband, Randy, have four children between the ages of 37 and 13. When she was first diagnosed in 2003, her youngest son was just four years old.

“One of my sisters asked me why I didn’t just cry all the time when I was diagnosed,” she recalls. “I told her because I have a four-year-old and it doesn’t help you to cry. There’s no reason to be glum.”

Living with cancer certainly hasn’t been easy. She has lost her hair three times, and still has the wigs she wore until her hair grew back. After her brain surgery, she was given a protective helmet to wear. She did wear it to a garden party with friends, but not until she jazzed it up by glueing on jewels and other silly things first.

Through it all, Faulkner has been able to keep working, running an in-home day care where she babysits several of her grandchildren and a few other children. “I have been able to have the kids here and it’s better for me. I have a reason to live and a reason to get up in the morning,” she says.

She returns to see her doctor at Mercy Medical Center every three months and seems to be holding steady. Amazing, considering just three years ago she was told that she might have less than a year to live. “But they don’t want me upstairs and they’re not ready for me downstairs, so I’ll just have to stick around a little while longer.”

Faulkner doesn’t want the cancer to define, or limit, her life. She stays busy with family and friends. She and her husband volunteer with Camp Courageous. “Randy’s been on the board there for 20 years or better,” she says. In her free time, Faulkner loves to sew and make doll clothes. She even sells Avon on the side.

All joking aside, Faulkner knows that living with cancer has been terribly hard on her family, especially her kids. But this vibrant woman truly believes that every day is a gift and is determined to share that hope with others.

- See more at: http://thegazette.com/2013/03/10/local-woman-has-kept-cancer-at-bay/#sthash.VkFtGL59.dpuf




http://thegazette.com/2013/03/10/local-woman-has-kept-cancer-at-bay/

John Scriven 1-15-55 ~ 1-29-2013

VINTON: John Anthony Scriven, 58, passed away at home on Tuesday, January 29, 2013 after doing his best to fight his battle with cancer. Public visitation will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., Saturday, February 2, 2013 at the Phillips Funeral Home Chapel (212 E. 6th Street) in Vinton. A prayer service will be held at the funeral home at 3:00 p.m. Saturday with Rev. Connie Wacht officiating. According to John's wishes, he will be cremated following the prayer service. A Memorial Fund has been established. John is survived by his wife, Mickey Streeter of Vinton; his sister, Mary Aamold of San Jose, CA. and his son Shaun of CA. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Esther Scriven. John spent most of his career doing custodial work at the Cedar Rapids and Vinton-Shellsburg school districts. He loved nature and the many friends he made along the way. Thank you to everyone for their support throughout his illness.