In Memory
Honoring our classmates who are no longer with us.
If you know of a classmate who has passed and is not listed here, please add them by clicking the Add Memorial button.
[No pictures available for John Muelhaupt, Joe Porter, Steve Blank]
Elsa Harmon (Wittmack)
1941-11-15 2021-08-01
Muffy was born November 15th, 1941 at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. She passed into God’s celestial care on August 1st, 2021 at UnityPointe Hospice - Taylor House in Des Moines. She is survived by her husband, Henry, daughters Liesl (George) Roesch with grandsons Peter and Lawson and Abigail Allard with grandchildren Henry, Madeline and Elise. She is also survived by her brother, Arthur Wittmack (Susan), nephew Charles Wittmack (Colleen) and niece Ellen Donnelly (Erling) as well as many 1st and 2nd cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Elsa and Charles Wittmack as well as grandparents Arthur and Elsa Neumann and Ellen and Charles Wittmack.
Outside of the...
Michael Anderson
1941-06-19 2021-09-02
Michael Dean Anderson, 80, passed away from COVID-19 on Thursday, September 2, 2021 at Serenity House Hospice in Oskaloosa, Iowa where he had been a resident of Crystal Heights Care Center in recent years.
Mike was born in Des Moines on June 19, 1941 to Ralph T. Anderson and Erla B (McGrew) Anderson. Mike had two older brothers, Jim and Tom who paved the way for him through elementary and middle school. As an alumnus of Roosevelt High School, Mike played football for the Rough Riders and his team won the State Championship in 1958. He graduated in 1959 and headed to college in Colorado, finishing his studies at Grandview University in Des Moines. Following college, Mike joined...
Patricia Newcomer (Edgerton)
1941-04-30 2025-01-06
Patricia “Pat” Newcomer, passed away January 6, 2025. Her funeral will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, January 11 at Iles Dunn’s Chapel, with visitation beginning at 1 p.m.
Pat was born April 30, 1941 to Louise and Kenneth Edgerton and grew up in Des Moines. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1959. She then attended Parsons College, graduating in 1964 with a major in English. Pat then married and had two children, Patrick and Jeffrey Cornick.
Following a divorce, Pat attended Drake University and received a Master’s Degree in counseling. She then worked at AIB teaching English for over 25 years. During this time, she met the love of her life Charles Newcomer, a...
Steven Gorshel
1941-02-05 2004-06-07
Steven M. Gorshel, 63, died Monday, June 7, 2004 at Hospice Kavanagh House in Des Moines. Funeral Services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 9, 2004 at Beth El Jacob Synagogue. Burial will be at Jewish Glendale Cemetery.
Steven was born February 5, 1941 in Marshalltown, the son of Murray and Bess (Fingert) Gorshel and lived in West Des Moines for 26 years. He was a graduate of Roosevelt High School, attended Drake University and served six years in the Marines Reserve.
Steven worked for Pigeons Furniture where he was Vice President and recently retired from Homemakers Furniture. He enjoyed golfing, reading and traveling all over the world.
He was pr...
Alan Ackley
1941-07-02 2020-12-24
Alan K. Ackley, 79, loving husband, father and grandfather, died unexpectedly at his home on December 24, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. Born July 2, 1941 in Des Moines, to Wayne and Karen Ackley, Alan attended Des Moines schools and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1959. He attended Drake University with Linda Lou Haney. The two married in September 1964.
Alan had an enthusiasm for mechanical things - especially Braille machines. It was when Alan began work at the Iowa Department for the Blind in 1974 that he found his calling. His orientation training (wearing sleep shades as blinders the first few weeks) triggered Alan's passion for Braille and his lifelong inte...
Larry Dorr
2020-12-28
Larry died yesterday morning after 5 weeks of hospitalization for aspiration pneumonia. He had been on antibiotics the entire time and intubated on a respirator the last 3 weeks. The last few days he became infected with C diffidens which must have overwhelmed his system. Because of Covid, Marilyn was unable to see him while he was hospitalized in ICU.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/life/2021/01/08/remembrance-pioneering-surgeon-iowa-native-helps-thousands-walk/6578623002/
Bob Porter Remembers Larry Dorr:
Dear Marilyn, Broule, Scotty, and Ron, I am full of reflection and still cannot believe he is gone. I am thinking about Larry as my fr...
Nedra Sparland
1941-07-21 2021-04-07
Nedra passed away on April 7, 2021. She was born on July 21, 1941 to Oscar and Dorothy Sparland at Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines. From an early age Nedra had a love of numbers. She developed bookkeeping skills which she use throughout her career. She held positions at Island Title in Washington state and later at the Veteran's Hospital and Wells Fargo in Des Moines.
Some of her happiest times were vacationing at the lake with her siblings and spending time in Mexico with her friends. Nedra married and raised one daughter. Her daughter Tracey (Scott) blessed her with four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She is also survived by her brothers Randy (Joan) and Mark...
James Bailey
1941-01-24 2021-09-20
James Richard Bailey, 80, of Ottumwa, died at 7:40 p.m. August 20, 2021 at Hospice House in Ottumwa.
He was born January 24, 1941 in Des Moines to Harlan and Mellie McKee Bailey.
A graduate of Des Moines Roosevelt High School and William Penn University, he also attended Drake University. Jim worked 42 years for the Iowa Department of Transportation, retiring in 2007.
Jim was a kind, thoughtful and generous man. He loved his family, friends and sports of all kinds. He coached many boys in basketball; including one young man who made it all the way to the National Hoop Shoot Championship in Massachusetts. Jim loved to participate in the Iowa Games,...
Yuichi Akihiro
1940-10-28 2007-08-27
Yuichi Akihiro was born October 28, 1940 in Tokyo, Japan. He had a brother and a sister. For our senior year, he was an exchange student at Roosevelt, and lived with Laura McCollum’s family. He called the parents, Margaret and Harold McCollum, his American mom and dad.
He attended college at Drury in Springfield, MO, where he met and married Pamela Forgey. Yuichi became a high school teacher; and in the late 60s, they moved to Gladwin, MI. In 1969 they had their first child, Matthew. Shortly after, they moved to St. Louis, and he taught social studies for the Hazelwood School District. In 1973 they had their second child, Tamiko. Then in 1975 they had their third child, Misako...
Sophie Pargas (Vlassis)
1941-05-29 2017-06-16
Sophie Pargas Vlassis was born on May 29, 1941 in Des Moines, Iowa to Harry and Stavroula (Bennos) Pargas. She passed away peacefully on June 16, 2017 at the age of 76.
She graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1959, and continued her education at Drake University from 1959-1963 where she received a Bachelor's Degree in the College of Liberal Arts, in Psychology and Sociology, and a minor in Secondary Education. While at Drake, she was a member of Alpha Phi Sorority, served as Chairperson of Drake's Campus Appeals Committee, was a member of Angel Flight, and served on Drake's Council for International Understanding.
Upon graduating from Drake, Sophie was hir...
