Woods Funeral Home

Evelyn “Evie” Amelia Brickman, 92 of Oelwein passed away Saturday January 24, 2026 at Grandview Care Center in Oelwein. Evie was born December 5, 1933 in rural Buchanan County the daughter of Charles Walter and Leta Bell (Wroten) Ohl. She attended Dunkerton Community School and graduated with the class of 1952.

Evie married Francis Earl Zuck in 1954 to this union four children were born, they later divorced. Evie remarried on August 6, 1972 to Owen K. Brickman. Evie and Owen made their home in rural Oelwein, they also had a second home in Harpers Ferry. Evie worked her entire life, most notably at John Deere as a warehouse worker and at Oster Communications where she was a top salesperson. She worked at Oster until she made the decision to retire. After retirement they decided to move to Harpers Ferry permanently since that is where they spent most of their free time fishing and enjoying the peace and quiet on the Mississippi River.

Evie is survived by her four children; Linda Trumblee of Independence, Beverly (Lonnie) Lehs of Randalia, Jim (Terri) Zuck of Oelwein and Tim Brickman of Harpers Ferry, along with Owen’s four children, Kelly Brickman of Cedar Rapids, Dodie Brickman of Cedar Falls, Darcy Ott of Marion and Brent Brickman of Anchorage Alaska. She is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren along with many nieces and nephews and a sister-in-law, Bernice (George) Wikstrom.

She was preceded in death by; her parents, her husband, Owen in 2017, four sisters; Wyona (Marshall) Rankin, Velma Ohl, Ida Mae (Robert) Blanchard and Virginia (Richard) Steen, seven brothers; Donald Ohl, Martin (Marlene) Ohl, Arthur Ohl, Floyd “Mike” Ohl, Ralph Ohl, Alfred Ohl and Leonard (Mary) Ohl.

Visitation: 10:00-11:00 AM Saturday January 31, 2026 at Woods Funeral Home.

Funeral Service: 11:00 AM Saturday January 31, 2026 at Woods Funeral Home.

Interment: Fairbank Cemetery, Fairbank, Iowa

Memorials: may be directed to the family for later designation.

Lunch will be served after the service at the Fairbank American Legion.

Dave Bentley, age 69, passed away on January 8, 2026 in Cedar Valley Hospice Care within the Buchanan County Health Center in Independence, Iowa. He was born July 14, 1956, at Mercy Hospital in Oelwein, IA, the son of Gordon and Patty (Joerger) Bentley. Dave attended and graduated from Wapsie Valley High School class of 1974. After graduation Dave started working full time in the family car business where he worked in sales at his family owned Bentley Chevrolet of Fairbank. Dave entered in to marriage in October of 1979 with Julie Kaufman and later divorced in 2018. When the family dealership closed in 1986, he continued his career long journey of automobile sales. Dave spent many years working in a variety of General Motors dealerships within the Cedar Valley, most notably Dunlap Motors of Independence, and Community GMC/Buick of Waterloo where he finished out his sales career. His love for automobiles did not stop there, his deep roots in stockcar racing was always his biggest passion. Once an avid dirt track racer himself of the famed #35, ranging from ¼ midgets and modifieds to late models all over the state. After his racing career was over, he stayed involved in the sport by being a local race track official for numerous years, until two of his three sons ventured into their own racing adventures, which ultimately took his full attention and guidance along the way. Dave enjoyed spending time with family and friends whether it be celebrating a special occasion or just sitting around watching a NASCAR race on television. Dave loved his family and was a proud parent and grandparent.

Dave is survived by his three sons, Kyle and Klint (Keri) Bentley of Fairbank, Kaleb (Kyla) Bentley of Jesup, 8 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, his mother Patty of Earlham, a brother Duane ofFairbank, a sister Mary (Joe) College of Earlham, along with 5 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his father Gordon, a daughter Lou Ann Bentley, and brother-in-law Ron
Little.

Visitation: 4:30-7:00 PM Thursday January 15, 2026 at Woods Funeral Home, Fairbank

Graveside Services: 10:30 AM Friday January 16, 2026 at Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Fairbank

Memorials: may be directed to the family for later designation.

Lunch will be served at the Fairbank American Legion following the service at the cemetery

Robert “Bob” Byersdorfer, age 74 of Fairbank, passed away on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo. He was born December 27, 1950 in Oelwein the son of Richard and Lucille (Schomer) Byersdorfer. Bob grew up on the family farm south of Fairbank and attended Triumph Rural School through eighth grade before graduating from Jesup Community Schools in 1968.

After high school, Bob was drafted into the United States Army, where he spent most of his service in Alaska. Upon returning home, he worked for Gulf States Plastic in Oelwein before later retiring from John Deere after 19 years of service.

On June 9, 1979, Bob married Pam Pitlik of Mount Vernon and together they made their home south of Fairbank, raising their three sons. Bob enjoyed working and playing on the farm and spending time with his family, especially in the timber along the river. He also loved mowing the lawn and tinkering with anything outdoors. Bob was a member of the Fairbank American Legion and a longtime member of the Fairbank Knights of Columbus. He served on the Wapsie Valley Board of Education and was a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, where he was an active member of the choir.

Above all, Bob was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He was extremely proud of his family and his loss will be deeply felt by all who knew him.

Survived by: his wife; Pam, three sons; Adam (Amanda), Benjamin and Caleb (Rosanna) seven grandchildren; Evan, Braden, Jacob, Ilse, Anna Lena, Edgar and Freddie, one brother; Richard (Donna) Byersdorfer Jr. one brother-in-law; Greg (Joyce) Pitlik, one sister-in-law; Andi Covington (Wayne) along with several nieces and nephews.
Preceded in death by: his parents, father and mother-in-law; Merrill and Harriet Pitlik
Visitation: 4:00-7:00 PM Monday December 29th at Woods Funeral Home with a 7:00 PM Knights of Columbus Rosary.
Funeral Services: 10:30 AM Tuesday December 30th at Woods Funeral Home.
Military Rites: Fairbank American Legion Fortsch-Duffy Post 552
Interment: Immaculate Conception Cemetery
Memorials: to the family for later designation
Lunch will be served at the Fairbank American Legion following the service.

Dawn Marie Johnson age 68 of Fairbank passed away unexpectedly Saturday, November 22, 2025. Dawn was born February 15th, 1957 in Waterloo the daughter of Lyle and Ida Mae (Maxfield) Cue. She grew up in Independence and attended and graduated from Independence Community School with the class of 1975. After high school she enrolled at Hawkeye Community College to pursue a career in nursing, she graduated from there as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Dawn first worked at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids and then at Covenant Medical Center which then became MercyOne in Waterloo, retiring in 2024.

In 1978 she married Bob Johnson, they made their home in Independence. They had two children together, Rob and Mandy. They later divorced. Sometime after that she met Jerry “Goofy” Goeller and they remained together until he passed away in 2022.

Dawn enjoyed spending time with family and friends, baking, gardening, trips to the casino and vacation. She had a special group of friends that she loved to spend time with at Costa’s. They have been a big part of her especially after losing her Life Partner “Goofy”. She will be missed by everyone who knew her, especially by her children who were such a big part of her life.

Survived by: her son, Rob Johnson of Oelwein, her daughter, Mandy (Nathan) Ritter of Hazleton, one grandson, Tayt (Breanna) Johnson of Independence, one sister, Pam (Tom) Searcy of Cedar Falls, one sister-in-law, Kim Cue of Independence and one Brother, Doug Cue of Independence along with many nieces and nephews.

Preceded in death by: her parents, one sister, Vicki Yokem, one brother, Jim Cue and her Life Partner, Jerry “Goofy” Goeller.

A Celebration of Life: will be held on December 14th, 2025 at the Fairbank American Legion from 2:00-6:00 PM

Memorials: in lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the family for later designation. A savings account has been set up at Northeast Security Bank in Fairbank.

Patricia Ann (DeLong) Ryherd age 90, passed away November 19, 2025, surrounded by family at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo. Pat was born February 8, 1935 in Waterloo the daughter of Nathaniel and Gladys (Ackerman) DeLong. She attended school at Hawthorne Elementary in Waterloo, then, later moved to the rural Dunkerton/Dewar area with her parents and three brothers. Pat enjoyed growing up in the country with her brothers. In high school Pat was involved in musical and play events and upon graduation from Dunkerton High School in 1952, married her high school sweetheart, Robert Weber. Bob was in the Marines stationed in Florida. They lived off base in Hialeah, Florida. After Bob finished his service in the Marines, they moved back home to the Jesup /Littleton area to be close to family. Bob and Pat later divorced. On February 12, 2000. Pat married John Ryherd. During their marriage they enjoyed dancing and would do so every chance they got. They also enjoyed spending their winters in Texas. They were married until his death in 2017.

Pat was an accomplished seamstress, she loved sewing. One year she made matching dresses for her three daughters and herself for Easter. Pat helped to establish Girl Scouts in 1962 in Jesup and served in a leadership capacity while her children were in Brownies in elementary, then through Cadets in high school. One of Pat’s favorite hobbies was camping with her young family beginning in 1955. She camped most of her life, beginning with a tent with no floor, then graduating to a motor home and travel trailer. She especially enjoyed fishing with her dad and spending time on or near the water at her parent’s cabins in Otterville or Harpers Ferry.

Pat worked as an aide at MHI and then worked second shift in the restaurant business for most of her life. Her favorite work years were in partnership with her best friend Cathy, as they co-managed the Gala Ball Room and Jungle Inn night club in Independence. Pat also enjoyed managing the Wapsipinicon Country Club for a few years. Pat worked as a hostess at the Twin Torch Inn for many years and then retired as a hotel/motel clerk at the Conway Inn.

Pat enjoyed attending many social and club events, gardening, and going out to eat. She has been involved in many organizations over the years such as the Fairbank Legion Auxiliary and Federated Women’s Club; Dunkerton Women’s Club and Sportsman Club, and the Red Hat Chicks. She especially enjoyed these highlights…being the Co-Chair for the Buchanan County Farm Bureau Women and receiving a Volunteer award from Governor Terry Branstad for her Dunkerton Senior Meals Coordination.

Preceded in Death by: Her Parents; Two brothers, Harold and Thomas DeLong; Twin siblings lost at birth, Paul and Pauline DeLong; Spouses, Robert Weber and John Ryherd.

Survived By: Three daughters, Debra (Ken) Strong of Cedar Rapids, Pamela Wolter of Denver, Angela (Scott) Grahm of Dunkerton; Two grandsons, Austin Graham, Tun (Judy) Than; Six granddaughters, Shawna Mahoney, Brianna Strong, Micah (Andrew) Knebel, Danielle (Ben) Rocca, Jessica (Josh) Meier, Ashley (Mike) Coffin; Seven great granddaughters; Seven great grandsons and one brother, James (Becky) DeLong

Services: 10:30 AM Monday, November 24, 2025, at Dunkerton Methodist Church in Dunkerton.

Visitation: 1:00-3:00 PM Sunday, November 23, 2025, at Woods Funeral Home in Fairbank and for one hour before Services Monday, November 24, 2025 at Dunkerton Methodist Church in Dunkerton.

Interment: Fairview Cemetery, Dunkerton

Memorials: May be directed to the family for later designation.