Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com

Published - Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Obituaries for May 26

Randy Alan, Elaine M. DuBord, Barbara Ella Monick, Donald E. Von Haden

Randy Alan

Randy Alan, 55, of Winterset, IA, died Sunday, May 18, 2008, at his home.

A memorial service was held at 2 p.m., Friday, May 23, at Ochiltree Funeral Service in Winterset. Memorials may be directed to a charity of choice. Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.ochiltree.com.

Randy was born Feb. 13, 1953, in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, the son of Richard and Valeria (Arts) Wacynski. He was employed by GITS Manufacturing in Creston, IA, as a global sales manager.

Randy attended the St. Paul Lutheran Church of Winterset. He was very athletic and loved his dogs.

He is survived by his siblings, Sondra Gray of San Francisco, CA, James Wacynski of Apache Junction, AZ, and Nancy Grimes of Wisconsin Rapids, WI; two nieces, Kayla Grimes and Alisa Johnson of Wisconsin; and a long-time sweetheart, Gayle Townsend of Northville, MI.

Randy was preceded in death by his parents.

Elaine M. DuBord

Elaine M. DuBord, 83, of Tomah, passed away on Wednesday, May 21, 2008, at the Fair View Nursing Home, Mauston.

Elaine was born on May 30, 1924, in Minnesota, the daughter of Arthur and Amelia (Perrault) Mitchell.

Elaine was united in marriage to Real F. DuBord on May 13, 1947, in Morehead, MN. She was a loving wife, mother and grandmother.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years Real “Frenchy”; her children, Tom (Bonnie) DuBord of St. Charles, IL, Vaughn “Porky” DuBord of Batavia, IL, Sandy Elliott of San Diego, CA, Denise “Bunny” (Ben) Sweeney of Mauston, Michele (Larry) Mehne of Mauston, Kevin (Danita) DuBord of Tomah; 15 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; her faithful companion “Magic”; a brother, Barney Dickhouse of Morehead, MN, and other relatives and friends.

A Memorial Mass was held at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 24, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Mauston.

Interment was in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

Friends called on Friday, May 23, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Crandall Funeral Home, Mauston.

Barbara Ella Monick

When you drove by the “Sunnyside of Clifton” dairy farm, you had to notice the beautiful gardens and flowers Barbara Monick tended. Barbara Ella Monick died May 21, 2008, at the age of 95. She was born Aug. 9, 1912, to Anna (Koehler) Schmidt and Oscar Schmidt. Barbara graduated from Tomah High School in 1930 and Tomah Teachers’ School in 1931. She taught country grade school at Homewood and Tug Hallow.

She married Donald M. Monick on June 20, 1934. Together they farmed “Sunnyside of Clifton” and raised registered Guernsey cattle. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1984. He preceded her in death on Sept. 3, 2000. She was a lifelong member of St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church where she was baptized on June 25, 1916. She was instructed in God’s teaching and was confirmed Aug. 21, 1927. She taught Sunday school and was a charter member of the Ladies Aid. Barbara was very active at home and in the community. She enjoyed many years as a 4-H leader teaching youth in 4-H activities. She loved gardening and her flowers were always on view to those driving by Sunnyside of Clifton. She often shared the vegetables from her garden with friends and neighbors. A frugal homemaker and excellent cook, she kept her pantry stocked with homegrown fruits and vegetables.

Following retirement from the dairy industry, she and her husband built their dream home a short distance from the homestead and resided there for 16 years. During that time, they enjoyed fishing with family and friends. Their grandchildren have fond memories of the farm, fishing and stories where they learned and appreciated activities about farm life.

She is survived by her two daughters, Gretchen (Tom) Wright of Livingston, TX, and Nancy (Donald) Fairbanks of Cincinnati, OH; five grandchildren, Sherri (Ward) Jarvis of Hillsboro, NC, Thomas Wright of Hillsboro, NC, Donna (George) Latendresse of Niskayuna, NY, David (Julie) Fairbanks of Cincinnati, OH, Donald (Julie) Fairbanks of Fairfield, CT; five great-grandchildren, Kevin, Scott, Jarvis, Bradley and Eric Latendresse, and Dana Fairbanks; nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband Donald after 66 years of marriage. She was the last surviving sibling of the Schmidt family preceded in death by brothers Donald and Leonard and sisters Ruby, Martha, Ella and Nettie.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, May 29, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Peter Ev. Lutheran Church, Clifton. Pastor Paul G. Heiderich will officiate. Burial will be in the Clifton Cemetery, Town of Clifton.

Relatives and friends are invited to call at the Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home, 801 E. Monowau St., on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and at the church on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service.

Memorials in memory of Barbara may be given to St. Peter Ev. Lutheran Church or a charity of one’s choice.

Donald E. Von Haden

Donald E. Von Haden, 69, of Tomah, died May 22, 2008, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse. He was born Sept 23, 1938, to Vernie and Wanda (Kent) Von Haden in Wilton. He was united in marriage on Dec. 16, 1961, to Rosemarie “Rosie” Bilgrien in Milwaukee. She preceded him in death on July 12, 2007. He was a U.S. Army veteran. He was a member of Grassman-Sowle-Larsen-Senz American Legion Post #201, Tomah. He was a founding member of the Tomah I-Dividers Snowmobile Club. He enjoyed spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and riding snowmobiles. He was an avid Packer fan/Brewers fan. Many Sunday afternoons were spent cheering on his team. “GO PACK GO”!

He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Donald will be sadly missed by all those who knew and loved him.

Donald is survived by his children: Daniel (Sue) of Tomah, Derrik of Florida, Deidre (Curtis) Nauman of Tomah, Denice (Robert) Moen of Minnesota, Denine (Dwayne) Voegeli of Winona, MN; 10 grandchildren, Misty (Justin) Fears of Las Vegas, NV, Danielle (Aaron) Williams, Joshua Von Haden, Alecia, Ariel and Kyle Nauman, all of Tomah, Tristan and Danneka Voegeli of Winona, Meghan Moen of Minneapolis, Chantel (Mike) Marx of Menomonie; a great-granddaughter, Desiree; two brothers, Eldred Von Haden and Norman Von Haden; two sisters, Verdeen (Bob) Larson of Waukesha and Elaine (Henry) Veith of Nebraska, and a very special sister-in-law, Sandy Von Haden. He is further survived by brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews and by many other relatives and friends.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife, Rosemarie; a brother, Paul, and a sister, Lila.

Funeral services were held Sunday, May 25, at 2 p.m. at the Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home, 801 E. Monowau St. Joseph Bilgrien officiated. Burial was in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Tomah.

Relatives and friends called on Sunday at the Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home from noon until the time of the service. The family requests memorials be given in Don’s memory to the American Stroke Association, 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chicago, IL 60674.

All stories copyright 2006 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.