A funeral service for Joyce Overocker, age 86, of Spirit Lake, will be held at 3 pm, Monday, October 22, 2018 at the United Methodist Church in Spirit Lake. Interment will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Visitation will begin at 4 pm, Sunday, October 21, 2018, with the family present from 4-6 pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. 

Mrs. Overocker passed away October 17, 2018 at Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake.

Turner Jenness Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Marge Husen, 91, of Okoboji passed away on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at Lakes Regional Healthcare.

A mass of Christian burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, October 22, 2018 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spirit Lake. Burial will be in the St. Margaret’s Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 21, 2018 from 4-7 p.m. at the church. The Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com

Mass of Christian Burial for Larry Pick, 80, of Milford, Iowa, will be held at 10:30 am, Saturday, October 20, 2018, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford. Interment will be at Okoboji Cemetery in Arnolds Park. Visitation will begin at 5 pm on Friday, October 19, 2018, with the family present from 5-7 pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Larry passed away at his home in Milford, Monday, October 15, 2018.

Turner Jenness Funeral Home of Milford is in charge of the arrangements.

Wayne Orval Turner passed away peacefully on October 15, 2018 at the Leesburg Regional Hospital in Leesburg, FL.  He was born December 5, 1938, along with his twin brother, in Earl Park, IN to Orval and Ethel (Partlow) Turner.  He received his schooling in Earl Park, Spirit Lake, IA and graduated from Lake Park, IA High School in 1956. 

Wayne joined the U.S. Army and proudly served his country.  He returned to Iowa to raise his family. Wayne “made fishline”, working for 35 years in chemical engineering research for Pure Fishing in Spirit Lake.  He was active in the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. 

Wayne enjoyed golfing, hunting with his Brittanies, traveling, playing cards, and good times with friends. 

He was an active member of the Spirit Lake United Methodist Church, serving in many capacities, and later joined the Community Methodist Church in Fruitland Park, FL.   

He leaves behind his wife of 43 years, Susan, and his daughters, Brenda of Kansas City, MO and Cheryl of Calhan, CO.  Wayne's grandchildren were a source of great pride: Jessica, Jeff, Elizabeth, Cody and Adrianna.  He dearly loved three great-grandchildren:  Caden, Tatum and Reese. 

Services will be at a later date at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

Barbara J. Tollefson passed away peacefully on September 12, 2018, following a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis.

Barbara Tollefson was born in Estherville, Iowa, on July 20, 1931. Her parents were Russell Oliver Peterson and Corinne Elizabeth Noel. She was the second of four daughters who were evenly spaced by 7 years. She spent her summers at the family cottage on the south shore of Big Spirit where she learned to swim and sail.  

After graduating from Estherville High School, Barbara went on to graduate from the University of Iowa with a degree in History. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. After graduation, she taught in schools in Iowa and in Colorado. While in Colorado she met the love of her life, James Rand Tollefson, and agreed to marry him after just 4 dates! 

Barbara and Jim were married in Estherville and began their married life in Des Plaines, Illinois, where Jim worked as a CPA for Haskins and Sells. It was in Chicago that their three children were born – Laura, Jeff, and Sue. The family moved to New Jersey and then back to Spirit Lake, Iowa, where Barb lived for the next 49 years. 

Family was the most important part of Barb’s life. She was kind, generous, and believed in the importance of “investing in memories,” and she graciously provided her family with many opportunities to create those memories. Whether “dinks” with her two sisters, women’s weekends with the ladies of the family, cruises for the entire family, or co-hosting an annual 4th of July pig roast in her backyard on the south shore of West Okoboji, Barbara loved creating and enjoying memorable experiences with family and friends. She traveled to 34 countries and always kept her sense of adventure. She was passionate about golf, bridge, canasta, travel, apple pie, and her grandkids. 

Barbara (or Grandma Boji as she was known to her grandchildren) is survived by her daughter, Laura (Scott) Bovard of Missoula, MT, and their children, Captain Andrew Bovard (Ashley), great granddaughters, Ella Grace and Torunn Elizabeth of Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and Gillian Bovard, Boise, ID; son Jeff (Jennie) Tollefson of Eden Prairie, MN, and his children Joseph Tollefson, Chicago, IL, and Alex Tollefson, Denver, CO; daughter Sue (Steve) Hickerson of Overland Park, KS, and their children Katherine, Emily, and David Hickerson. 

She will be truly missed by her two sisters, Nancy Houchins and Nadine (Rick) Johnson of Arnolds Park, IA, and their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She joins her mother and father, sister Mary Jeanne Peterson, and husband Jim, in a better place.
Barbara celebrated life and family. She wanted no formal service, but there will be a celebration of her remarkable life on Saturday, October 20, from 4-6 p.m. at Arrowwood Resort in Okoboji, Iowa. Food, laughter and love will be in abundance. Memorials may be made in her honor to the Okoboji Foundation or the Okoboji Summer Theater.

Bonnie Lavonne Mitchell, 94, of Spirit Lake passed away on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at Lakes Regional Healthcare.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, October 22, 2018 at the Spirit Lake United Methodist Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Monday at the church. There will be a private family burial in the Lakeland Memory Gardens Cemetery in Spirit Lake. The Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com

Merle “Jerry” Van Patten, 79, of Orlando, FL formerly of Spirit Lake passed away on Monday, October 15, 2018 at his daughter’s home in Wallingford, IA.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, October 19, 2018 at the Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake. There will be a rosary service at 4:30 p.m. Thursday with a visitation to follow from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday at the Funeral Home. The family requests that you come wearing Purple and Yellow to support Jerry’s love for the Minnesota Vikings. The Schuchert-Lentz Funeral Home in Spirit Lake is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com