Wednesday, January 19, 2005

HIGH OF 30 TODAY. A LITTLE SNOW IN FORECAST TONIGHT.

A WELL KNOWN MAQUOKETA RESIDENT DIED SUDDENLY AROUND 10:30
LAST NIGHT FROM A HEART ATTACK AT HIS HOME. JAKE NELLES, AGE 80,
WAS BORN IN GERMANY, MOVED TO CANADA IN THE 50'S AND TO IOWA
IN THE 60'S. HE STARTED WORK AS A CHEESEMAKER AT PRESTON IN 1965 AND THAT WAS THE YEAR ALSO THAT HE MOVED TO MAQUOKETA. SOME YEARS LATER HE BUILDT A BIG SWISS CHALET HOME ON PERSHING ROAD OVERLOOKING MAQUOKETA. THE HOME WAS SHIPPED TO MAQUOKETA AND ASSEMBLED BY CONTRACTORS FROM SWITZERLAND. IN LATER YEARS, HE WAS A MOZZERELLA CHEESE SPECIALIST AND CONSULTANT AND TRAVELED IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD. HE HAD SEVERAL CHEESE PATENTS THAT HE WAS VERY PROUD OT. HE LOVED CHEESE AND GAVE GUESTS TO HIS HOME SOME CHEESE TO TAKE WITH THEM. LAST FALL HE AND HIS WIFE MARIANNE CELEBRATED THEIR 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY WITH A BIG DINNER PARTY AND PROGRAM AT THE COMFORT INN SOUTH OF TOWN. THE PROGRAM WAS PUT ON MY HIS 3 CHILDREN. HE IS SURVIVED BY HIS WIFE, SON JOHN FROM CANADA, SON PETER FROM MADISON AND DAUGHTER CATHY FROM DULUTH. THIS PAST CHRISTMAS EVE, HE CELEBRATED HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY. JAKE COULD TELL A LOT OF STORIES ABOUT HIS CHEESEMAKING CAREER AND THE OLD COUNTRY. NANCY AND I WERE INVITED TO HIS HOME A YEAR AGO CHRISTMAS TIME AND WE HAD CHEESE AND PIZZA AND I LISTENED FOR A COUPLE HOURS, TO A VERY INTERESTING GUY AND HIS STORIES ABOUT HIS TIME IN WORLD WAR 2 (HE WAS WOUNDED IN RUSSIA IN 1944). HE WAS A NICE GUY, ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL "ONE-OF-A-KIND" RESIDENTS MAQUOKETA IS WELL KNOWN FOR. SERVICES ARE PENDING AT THE CARSON AND SON FUNERAL HOME IN MAQUOKETA.
REST IN PEACE JAKE AND START PROMOTING MOZZERELLA IN HEAVEN.

THE MAQUOKETA BOYS LOST TO DEWITT, THERE, LAST NIGHT. GOOD GAME.
DEWITT IS #10 IN THE STATE. MAQUOKETA WON THE SOPHOMORE GAME IN OVERTIME.

THANKS FOR THE VISIT.

DENNIS VOY