Obituaries

R. Vaunceil Stephenson, 76, of Erie, Ill., died Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007, at home.      A service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Erie United Methodist Church. A graveside service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Maple Hill Cemetery in Birmingham.      Visitation will be from 1-4 p.m. Friday at Gibson Funeral Home in Erie.      Memorials may be made to the church.      Mrs. Stephenson was born Dec. 19, 1930, in Stockport,

Gerald C. Anderson, 85, of rural Brighton, died Monday, Dec. 10, 2007, at Park Place in Mount Pleasant.      A funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Hope Lutheran Church in Germanville, with the Rev. Wayne Wilkin officiating. Burial will be in Lutheran Cemetery adjacent to the church.      Open visitation will begin at 4 p.m. Friday at Gould Funeral Home in Brighton, where family will be present from 7-8:30

Veva M. Buchanan Mikkelson, 94, of Tempe, Ariz., formerly of Laurel, Mont., entered into eternal life, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007, at Friendship Village in Tempe.Funeral services were held Sunday, Dec. 2 in Marshalltown. Burial was at Strand Lutheran Cemetery in Dunbar.Condolences may be sent to her family at www.purseldavis.com. Memorials will be made to Strand Church, Hospice of the Valley and to Friendship

Donald E. Chezum, 83, of Knoxville, Ill., died at 10:38 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007, at his residence.      A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Hurd Hendricks Funeral Home and Crematory in Knoxville, Ill., with military rites by Ralph M. Noble American Legion Post No. 285 of Galesburg, Ill. Cremation rites will be accorded.      No visitation is planned.      In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made

BRIGHTON - Gerald C. Anderson, 85, of rural Brighton, died Monday, Dec. 10, 2007, in Park Place in Mount Pleasant.      Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, in the Hope Lutheran Church in Germanville, with the Rev. Wayne Wilkin officiating. Burial will be in the Lutheran Cemetery adjacent to the church. Visitation in the Gould Funeral Home in Brighton will open at 4 p.m. Friday, where the

OTTUMWA - Mary Elizabeth Gilbert, 94, of Washington, died Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007, in the Brownlee Health Center at the United Presbyterian Home in Washington.      The body has been cremated. A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, in Immanuel Lutheran Church in Washington with the Rev. Brian Gentz officiating. Memorials may be made to the Immanuel Lutheran Church or the United Presbyterian Home.

Gerald C. Anderson, 85, of rural Brighton died Monday Dec. 10, at Park Place Long-Term Care Unit in Mt. Pleasant.Visitation will begin at 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14, at Gould Funeral Home in Brighton, where the family will be present from 7 to 8:30 p.m. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at Hope Lutheran Church in Germanville, with the Rev. Wayne Wilkin officiating. Burial will be in the

Grace Ann James, 60, of Mesa, Ariz., died Wednesday, Dec. 5, at Banner Gardens Hospice in Mesa after a long battle with cancer.Funeral services were held Dec. 10 at Howe Mortuary in Longmont, Colo. Burial was at Loveland Burial Park.She was born Feb. 17, 1947 in Council Bluffs, the daughter of Roger and Billie Thompson Galer. In 1969, she married Carl B. Wagner; they were later divorced. On May 9, 1992, she married

The Rev. Richard Lee Boyd, 53, of Washington, died Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007, at his residence following a lengthy illness      Celebration of Life services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the First Christian Church in Washington with The Rev. Boyd's pastoral friends officiating. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the First Christian Church. Interment will take place

COLUMBUS JUNCTION - Lloyd F. Prior, 93, of Columbus Junction, died Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007, in the Colonial Manor Care Center in Columbus Junction.      Funeral services will be at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, in the Stacy-Lewis Home for Funeral and Cremation Services in Columbus Junction with the Rev. Catherine Whitlatch of the Columbus Junction United Methodist Church officiating. Burial will be in the Columbus City