The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 14

1 Moines Sunday Register State Edition Sunday, March 8, 2009 Page 3B Your 2 Cents' Worth Find Submit more anonymous comments online. comments for this column via the Web at To all the card-carrying "Bush Haters" and "Tax the Rich" people out there. Don't be surprised to be turned down when you (and your kids) come to my house begging for money for your charities, causes and fundraisers. for one, will no longer be contributing. Politicians, too, should remember this when campaign season comes around and they come begging for contributions.

Fed up after 30 Days To the wonderful gentleman From Register staff and news services CEDAR RAPIDS Sales tax measure may return to ballot Five Linn County cities that rejected a 1-cent local option sales tax to help rebuild after last year's flooding may get another chance to consider the measure. The Cedar Rapids City Council will consider a resolution on Monday that would put the issue on the ballot again on May 5. The move is in response to confusion by Marion voters over how revenue generated from the tax would be used. The new vote would take place in the cities that rejected the tax, which are Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, Center CARLSON FROM PAGE 1B It was a great time until Joel went over a small bump a mogul and went down hard. He lost consciousness seconds later and was taken by air ambulance on a 5-minute ride to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The news was unimaginably bad. He'd struck his head when he fell, fracturing his skull. That caused a brain clot to develop. It was so large it actually forced the brain to the side. Joel then had a stroke in the brain stem.

The operation took hours, and the surgeons spoke to Jim and Jan in the grimmest of terms. "We thought we were going to lose him," Jim said. "We started talking about organ donation." Not that anybody gave up. Especially Joel. This 18-year-old southwest Iowa farm kid, this basketball player, pitcher on the high school baseball team, golfer, 4-H leader and FFA chapter president, was hanging on for what his dad called a "very rough roller-coaster ride." He had fluid in his lungs and developed pneumonia.

His blood pressure was too high, and the brain injury made it difficult to regulate his body temperature. He had fevers, and the pressure on his brain caused problems. "It was three weeks in the ICU," Jim said. "The day we got out of there, the neurosurgeon said he never imagined we would get to that point." Joel spent the next weeks at Select Specialty Hospital, an Omaha rehabilitation facility, where he was weaned off the respirator he'd been on since the day of the accident. Two weeks ago, he moved to On With Life, an Ankeny facility that has had great success helping brain-injured patients.

"He's out of the bed and in a wheelchair," Jim said. "He's having therapy every day. He started communicating, with nodding and shaking his head yes and no, a week ago Wednesday. "We know he can read, because the therapists point to different things, like the names of months, and ask him which one is correct. He gets it right.

SHIRLEY J. BURNITE Johnston Point and the part of Walford that is in Linn County. The measure passed in Cedar Rapids. Marion City Manager Lon Pluckhahn says a new vote wouldn't have been requested if there hadn't been so many calls from residents who said they didn't understand last Tuesday's vote. I WATERLOO Convicted killer seeks retesting of evidence A man who is serving a life sentence for the slayings of four family members wants evidence in the case retested.

Jerry Mark was convicted in the 1975 deaths of his brother, sister-in- at TGI Fridays on Feb. 27: Thanks for picking up our tab. You left us in awe wondering who you were. Thanks for your generosity and kindness. Paying it forward.

Family of 8 in Des Moines It's always nice to get the "Iowa angle." I see in one of the local papers that the next president of a major Eastern university once passed through Muscatine. journalist retired Rush Limbaugh and Ann JULIE STRICKLAND PHOTOGRAPHY "There's something to be encouraged about every day" in Joel Herzberg's recovery from a brain injury, his dad says. "It's just going to take a while." I Fundraiser planned The people of Villisca are planning a Joel Herzberg Family Fun Day fundraiser for April 11, the day before Easter. Contributions to help the family can be sent to: Joel Herzberg Benefit Fund, in care of Bank lowa, 300 S. Third P.O.

Box 46, Villisca, IA 50864. He's reading. He's improving. Things are getting better; there's something to be encouraged about every day. It's just going to take a while." Through it all, Jim and Jan and their other three sons have traded off working, going to school and spending time with Joel.

Neighbors and friends help with the farm chores and do anything else they can to make life a bit more manageable for the Herzbergs. Heaven knows, they've had a difficult year. Last summer, Jim's right hand was caught in hay baling machinery. There have been surgeries and skin grafts. Joel is the one who drove Jim to the hospital that day.

"It's times like this when you find out about people, not just in your own town but in the whole area," said Jan. "Anything we need, they're there. The word 'thankful' doesn't come close to saying it." People in Villisca and surrounding communities have raised money to help, including a basketball event in Essex where the gate receipts and concessions money went to the Herzbergs. And the Villisca Bluejays, minus their sixth law and the couple's two children at their Cedar Falls home. During a hearing in Black Hawk County on Friday, Mark's attorney, Eric Tindal, asked that lead testing be done on the fatal bullets and that further DNA testing be done on a cigarette butt found at the scene.

Prosecutors say that even if DNA matching another person was found it wouldn't exonerate Mark because there is other evidence to support his conviction. District Court Judge Jon Fister did not rule on Mark's request. A federal appeals court upheld Mark's conviction in 2007. DesMoinesRegister.com/2cents. Coulter as spokesmorons for the Republicans at CPAC.

C'mon, how pathetic is that? Are any of you ever going to try thinking for yourself for once? Not a witless ditto-head President Obama and the current Congress are going to bankrupt us and leave us defenseless. As he said, "Countries will be redefined." And for the record, I voted for Obama, and now wish I hadn't. Troubled man, kept playing. You might call the game against Stanton, the one Joel watched from his room at the Omaha rehab center, a turning point. "I remember calling down there at halftime that night and getting Jan on the phone," Jim said.

"She was at the game. I told her she wouldn't believe it, but Joel and I were watching the game on the computer." Word got around and Jim thinks it was about the end of the third quarter and Villisca was down a couple of points the public address announcer told the crowd Joel was watching. Everybody stood and cheered. Even the Stanton fans. "It sure seemed to be a turning point," said Jim Obermeier, Villisca's head basketball coach.

"It picked up the crowd. I think it picked up the team, knowing Joel was watching." Villisca won going away. "It was like they were a whole new team," said Jim, looking over at Joel in his wheelchair. "It was this guy right here. The sixth man came off the bench." The rest of the season? It isn't over.

Monday afternoon, the Villisca Bluejays will play in the first state boys' tournament game in school history. That won't be easy either because the Bluejays are playing a very tough Rock Valley team. But there in Wells Fargo Arena, maybe even wearing his game jersey, will be Villisca's sixth man. "They told us we could take Joel to the game, and that's what we're going to do," Jim said. The plan for him is to be with the team for a few minutes, then settle in and watch the game.

"It will mean so much to the whole team just knowing he's there," Obermeier said. "He was a very important member of our team when he was playing. He's no less important now. Joel is one of us." Nobody knows how far Joel will progress. He may walk again.

Or not. Speak. Or not. He may be like he was before. The family understands it's going to take a lot of time.

Joel knows, too. And that's something that gives the Herzbergs Shirley J. Burnite, 83, died on Saturday, March 7, 2009, at Bishop Drumm Care Center, Johnston, Iowa. Services will be conducted in Our Lady of Peace Chapel at Bishop Drumm Care Center, 5837 Winwood Drive, Johnston, IA, on Monday, March 9, 2009. Visitation will be 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m., followed by a reception at Bishop Drumm. Shirley will be laid to rest beside her parents at Westlawn-Hillcrest Cemetery 5701 Center Omaha, Nebraska, at 2:30 p.m. Monday. Shirley was born Joan Shirley Burnite on September 15, 1925, in Omaha, NE to Mabel E. (Barclay) and Archie R.

Burnite. She spent her youth in Omaha with her parents, whom she cherished and shared many happy memories. She enjoyed 38 years as a resident and family member of the Bishop Drumm Care Center, where she often assisted and lifted the spirits of the staff and residents. A gifted musician, Shirley readily shared her talents by playing the piano and violin during liturgical and social gatherings at Bishop Drumm. She loved dogs, and took special care of Bishop Drumm's former resident dog, the beloved As an only child, she especially loved her Barclay and Callan cousins, of whom her recollections were remarkably detailed and precise.

She is survived by her many cousins, who treasured her. The Barclay and Callan families extend heartfelt appreciation to the Sisters of Mercy, and the countless staff members and volunteers of Bishop Drumm for their many years of care and thoughtfulness. Shirley truly considered you part of her family. Memorial contributions can be made to Bishop Drumm Care Center or the Sisters of Mercy. ILES Westover Chapel 6337 Hickman Road WES FERGUSON Des Moines Wes Ferguson, 54, died unexpectedly Thursday, March 5, 2009 at Iowa Lutheran ER.

Funeral services will be held at p.m. Monday, March 9, 2009 at Hamilton's Funeral Home, 605 Lyon St. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Wes was born May 9, 1954 in Cheyenne, WY.

He was a great gardener and could make anything grow. Wes was an avid cribbage and pitch card player, he was also a Star Trek fan. Wes is survived by his mother, Evelyne Villines; father, Martin Ferguson; sisters, Chris Burkhart and Julia (Mark) Tiedeman; nephews, John and Jason Burkhart and Bryan Tiedeman; niece, Amy (John) Geng; two greatnephews, Austin and Connor Geng; and a host of long time friends. He will be remembered as a great friend who brought joy and laughter to those around him. Memorial contributions may be directed to the White House.

You May Reach the Obituary Desk by Calling 515-284-8021 The Obituary Hours are: Monday-Friday 8:30 am 5:00 pm Saturday 8:00 am 5:00 pm Sunday 9:30 am 4:00 pm Holidays 10:00 am 3:00 pm DR. NORAH FRANCIS METCALF (NEE LAMBE) Elkhorn, NE Dr. Norah Francis Metcalf (nee Lambe) passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on March 2, 2009. Norah was born in London, England on December 4, 1918, the older daughter of Frank and Emily Lambe. She was educated at the Convent of the Nativity in Sittingbourne, Kent and graduated from the Medical School at Newcastleon-Tyne in December 1943.

During her medical school years she met her future husband, a fellow student, William Kenneth Metcalf. They were married in St. Bede's Catholic Church, South Shields in August 1944. In April 1968, Norah and Ken and six of their seven children came to the United States where they took up Faculty positions at the University of Iowa Medical School. They moved to Nebraska in 1973 to Faculty positions in the Department of Anatomy.

They retired as Emeritus Professors in 1991. Norah will be remembered particularly for her inspired teaching of Embryology and her collection of pictures of babies born to members of her classes during her tenure. She was invited to the Medical School at Lagos, Nigeria, as a visiting Professor to develop and present an Embryology program. Although her greatest pleasure came from teaching, for which she received many awards, she was active in research, writing numerous papers and making many presentations at Scientific Meetings in the U.S.A. and in Europe.

Norah was devoted to her family. She and Ken raised seven children, Peter, Michael, Nicholas, Amanda, Abigail, Lindsey and Jordan, five of whom became Physicians, one an Attorney and one a Special Education Teacher. Norah was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved sister, Patricia. She is survived by her loving husband of 65 years, all of her children, 13 grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to Emergency Pregnancy Services, Omaha, one of Norah's favorite charities.

LINDA R. FRISBIE Des Moines Linda R. Adkins Frisbie passed away peacefully on March, 2009. Linda was born on April 29, 1945 in Des Moines, IA to George and Lola Adkins. Linda was preceded in death by her father.

She is survived by her son, Brian Frisbie; daughter, Brenda Frisbie; and grandson, Jacob Frisbie; mother Adkins; sister, Kathy Cox; and step-mother, Darlene Adkins of Elkhart, IN; and numerous nieces, nephews, aunt, uncle and cousins. Linda was a graduate of Drake University in 1991 with a B.A. and received her M.S. in Mental Health Counseling in 1993. After graduating she spend several years teaching at Des Moines Area Community College.

She also did work with hypnosis Counseling. Linda spent a lot of her time working with others to help them through their difficulties. She was always willing to lend an ear and shoulder. At Linda's request her body will be cremated. Memorial Services will be held at 1p.m.

Saturday March 14, at the Capital Hill Christian Church. "To the world you may be one person, but to One person you may be the world" Brooks Funeral Care 8 MADELEINE L. FABRITZ Surprise, AZ Madeleine L. Fabritz, of Surprise, Arizona, died peacefully at the age of 82 on March 4, 2009 with family by her side. The daughter of Fredrick and Rose Faure, she was born and raised in Worland, Wyoming.

Following graduation from Worland High School, she attended Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa. While attending college, she met and fell in love with Henry L. Fabritz. The couple was united in marriage at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Worland, Wyoming, eventually settling in West Des Moines, Iowa, where they raised their five children.

Following her husband's retirement, the couple moved to Wyoming and wintered in Surprise, Arizona. Madeleine is survived by her loving five children: Chris Lingren and husband Steven of Perry, Iowa, Michele Gagen of Cora, Wyoming, Kevin Fabritz and wife Jacque of Seal Beach, California, Kaye Tyler and husband Don of Rock Springs, Wyoming, Scott Fabritz and wife Debbie of Waterman, Illinois; eleven Grandchildren: Jessica Bruere, Nicole Shearer and husband Jay, Rick Geisler, Emily Geisler, Brooke Lingren, Sean Fabritz, Alissa Rose Fabritz, Sam Fabritz, Amber Kendall and husband Jeremy, Cody Fabritz, Connor Fabritz; and four great- Cameron Fabritz, Brianna Bruere, Dylan Kendall, and Madeleine Kendall; her brother, Fred Faure of Worland, Wyoming, and several nieces and nephews. Madeleine was preceded in death by her husband in 2008. She will be remembered lovingly by her family and friends as a devoted wife and mother, adoring nana, and loyal friend. Online condolences may be made to yahoo.com.

A celebration of the lives of Madeleine and Henry Fabritz will be held during the Summer of 2009 in Worland, Wyoming. A memorial service for friends and family will be held in Surprise, AZ on Sunday, March 8, 2009. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to a charity of your choice. And CURTIS D. FERNEAU Grinnell Curtis D.

Ferneau ,82, died Friday, March 6, 2009, at his home. A funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. Interment will in Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Friends may call at the Smith Funeral Home beginning at 12 noon on Monday with the family present to greet friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday evening.

Memorials may be directed to the Sheridan United Methodist Church or to Grinnell Regional Hospice. Online condolences may be made to www.smithfh. com. Those left to mourn are his wife, Betty, of 54 years; his children Kirk Ferneau (Leslie) of Grinnell, Heidi Ferneau of Grinnell, and Joni Ferneau Brown (Steve) of Lombard, Illinois; his eight grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren; his four sisters, Naomi DeHart of Kellogg, Glenda Beaver of Bashaw, Alberta, Canada, Sharon Wassom of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Beverly Bryan of Newton, Iowa, and one brother David Ferneau of Malcom, 8 6.