Robert Dean Derry 

1945-2025

Robert Dean Derry, age 79, of Menlo, passed away peacefully early Thursday morning on Jan. 16, 2025, at the Des Moines VA Hospital after a short battle with cancer.

Bob, son of Everett and Elma June (Lewis) Derry, was born on Feb. 28, 1945, in Jefferson. He attended school in Bayard and graduated in the class of 1963.

On June 19, 1964, Bob was united in marriage to Cheryl Binkley. Three children were born to this union: Sheri, Greg and Jeff. Through the years, they lived in the Bayard, Bagley and Monteith areas.

Bob was enlisted in the Iowa National Guard from 1964 to 1970.

He was employed with Oscar Mayer for more than 25 years until they closed in 1988. Afterwards, he attended Southwest Iowa Community College and completed the Ag Industrial Mechanic program in May of 1991. After college, he worked several different jobs around the local area and continued farming and raising livestock.

On July 23, 2009, Bob was united in marriage to Martha Zollars. They lived South of Monteith until his death.

Bob was a true outdoorsman. He would take daily drives around the countryside and would often stop to go for walks to watch wildlife, identify trees, pick up nuts, hunt mushrooms or sit by the creek. Bob loved caring for the animals on his farm, many of which were more like pets. Through the years, he enjoyed horseback riding, hunting, fishing, riding motorcycles and attending auctions — all of which were passions he shared with his family. Most of all, though, Bob cherished his time spent visiting with family and friends.

Proceeding him in death are his parents: Everett and June Derry; sister: Patricia Derry; and his step-son: Michael Vanhoff.

Bob is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife, Martha, and three children: Sheri (Randy) McCann, Greg Derry and Jeff (Natalie) Derry; six grandchildren: Zach (Amy) Derry, Levi (Shay) Derry, Kylie (Dathan) Smerchek, Emily McCann (Tyson Creswell), Trey Derry and Trever Derry; nine great-grandchildren: Aries, Alala, Lane, Colt, Nylah, Kane, Kora, Alivia and Emerson; six brothers: Ron (Joan), Lanny (Lois), Mike (Sherrie), Steve (Suzann), Rod (Brenda) and Andy (Tracy); two brother-in-laws and three sister-in-laws; and step-son, Leroy, along with many nieces, nephews and other relatives who dearly loved him.

A Celebration of Life and Heavenly 80th Birthday will be held Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, from 4-8 p.m. at the Guthrie Activity Center, 209 State St., Guthrie Center.

Supervisors move forward with draft for surveying permit ordinance

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

During the Feb. 11 regular meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, discussion was held regarding the draft of a surveying permit ordinance. County Engineer Josh Sebern stated the ordinance would be applicable for situations such as the Summit pipeline and other similar situations. He noted that surveyors are often unable to find a marker at one spot, so they may need to survey at another spot, and possibly on another landowner’s property, to accurately complete a survey.

Supervisor Maggie Armstrong shared her perspective

“The question is, how do we work within Iowa Code to secure an ordinance that we can then enforce within Guthrie County so that it holds what we need it to hold,” Armstrong said.

Supervisor Brian Johnson said the county is allowed to make such an ordinance but not to supersede or be more restrictive than the state. Johnson advocated for the county to wait to see how ongoing litigation by other counties turns out.

“Why jump into a lawsuit ourselves? Why would we enter that fight right now?” Johnson asked.

The supervisors unanimously approved moving forward with the draft ordinance. There will be multiple readings of the draft in the coming weeks.

Several citizens spoke up during the Public Comments portion of the meeting to weigh-in on the surveying topic.

Budget presentations for the upcoming fiscal year were heard from Veterans Affairs and General Relief, Facilities, and Health Services.

Through March, the Board of Supervisors meets regularly Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#.

Chargers to compete in 1A District 9 meet next Saturday

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

ACGC boys wrestling will compete at the 1A District 9 meet at South Hamilton High School on Saturday, Feb. 15. ACGC will compete against AGWSR, South Central Calhoun, Don Bosco, Manson-NW Webster, North Tama, Ogden, Pocahontas Area, St. Edmond and host South Hamilton. The champion and runner-up from each weight class will advance to the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Feb. 19-22.

No. 12 Chargers cruise past Pleasantville, 58-33

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The No. 12 ACGC girls basketball team (19-1) picked up another WCAC win against Pleasantville (12-9) away from home on Friday, Feb. 7. Camdyn Richter had a big night on offense, leading the game in scoring with 23 points. Richter also grabbed eight rebounds. Shay Lemke scored 13 points. Largent once again approached double-double territory with 12 points and nine rebounds. ACGC has one more regular season game before heading into the postseason. The Chargers travel to Madrid (6-14) tonight, Tuesday, Feb. 11. After that, ACGC will face Interstate 35 or Earlham in the Class 2A Region 1 playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

No. 12 ACGC defeats West Central Valley, 48-30

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

The No. 12 ACGC girls basketball team (17-1) continued its winning streak with a win over West Central Valley (13-7) on Tuesday, Feb. 4. ACGC held the Wildcats to three points in the first quarter. Camdyn Richter led the team in scoring with 12 points. Stella Largent nearly earned a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. Shay Lemke also came close to a double-double in unconventional fashion. Lemke had nine steals and eight assists.

Photos by Mark Reno
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