Fredrick W. Wonder II

Former Onawa Democrat Owner/Publisher Passes Away at 93

Fredrick W. Wonder II, age 93, was born in Sioux City, Iowa on January 4, 1932 and passed away at Pleasant View Care Center in Whiting, Iowa on February 1, 2025 after a brief illness. 

A funeral service will be 10:30 A.M. Thursday, February 6, 2025 at the Goslar Funeral Home Chapel with Joe Scurlock, officiating. Military Honors will be provided by the United States Air Force and the David McNeill American Legion Post #129, Onawa, Iowa. A live stream of the service will be posted on the Goslar Funeral Home website with Fredrick’s obituary. Private burial will follow in the Onawa Cemetery, Onawa, Iowa. A visitation will be one hour prior to the service Thursday, February 6,2025 at the chapel. Arrangements are under the direction of Goslar Funeral Home and Monuments, Onawa, Iowa. 

He graduated from Onawa High School in 1951 and began working at the family-owned Onawa Democrat newspaper in 1955 after serving four years active duty in the United States Air Force in Germany during the Korean Conflict. He served with the Aircraft and Warning Squadron as a Hydraulic Specialist on a B-29. There, he married Kaethe Schmid, daughter of Anton and Freida Schmid in 1955. Their son, William A. Wonder was born later that year in the United States. Fred served an additional four years in the Air Force Reserve until 1958. 

Fredrick and Kaethe were married for 43 years, until her passing in 1997 after a long battle with cancer. Fred never got over her loss and missed her greatly every day. We’re sure his wish of being reunited has now been fulfilled. 

Fred’s time at the Democrat saw many changes in the newspaper business, with the transition from “hot type” printing methods to off-set printing and computers beginning on October 26, 1972. . .a change that his father “Bill” could never fully embrace. 

The “new” off-set method at that time replaced the old standby Linotype method and included punch-tape typesetting that was fed through a Compu graphic machine that printed to a filmstrip to be “pasted up” on layout sheets. . . a far cry from hand-spiking lead letters and linotype ‘slugs’ into heavy forms.

This new printing method essentially increased the normal 8-page format to as many as 16-pages or more weekly. This allowed for more coverage of area events and more display advertising area for Onawa’s once vibrant retail market area. 

In addition to the weekly newspaper, during the ‘80s and ‘90s, before Onawa’s notable decrease in retail advertisers, Fred also produced the “Advertiser”, a yellow page tab supplement with local area advertising which proved very successful at the time. 

Fred shared ownership as Editor/Publisher in the family business with his father, “Bill” from 1954 to 1974, and 1974 to 2004 with his son, William. Fred retired in 2004 after over 50 years of fond memories and friendships with Onawa and area advertisers. As was tradition with the Wonder family, upon his retirement, he passed on his half of the family business to his grandson, Freddie, the current Owner/Editor and Publisher. 

Fred was a member of the Abu Bekr Shrine Cycle Corps and enjoyed many years of traveling around the country to perform in parades. He also always enjoyed his summer vacations to the Black Hills and Sturgis with his grandson, Freddie and other relatives from Germany. He enjoyed classic cars, especially his vintage Thunderbirds, and was a member of the local “Classics” Car Club. 

He was also a member of the Onawa Chamber of Commerce, Onawa Eastern Star, and held life memberships in Vesper Masonic Lodge in Onawa, Sioux City Consistory and Abu-Bekr Shrine Cycle Corps, as well as the local American Legion and V.F. W.

In his later years, Fred enjoyed volunteering his weekends serving as a host at the Monona County Veterans Memorial Museum and sharing memories of his time and travels in the United States Air Force with visitors from around the world.

In his retirement years, Fred loved listening to ‘40s jazz music and would rather sit for hours listening to his vintage record collection than watching television.

Survivors include one son, William A. and Kitty (Rose) Wonder; grandson, Fredrick W. Wonder III; sister and brother-in-law, Margit and Marvin Hale of Rapid City, South Dakota; as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews both here and overseas. 

Fred was preceded in death by his wife, Kaethe (Schmid) Wonder; and parents William H. and Ariel (Borshiem) Wonder.

Memorials in Fredricks’ memory can be made to the Shrine Children’s Hospitals and Monona County Veterans Memorial Museum in Onawa.

Condolences may be left online for the family at www.goslarfuneralhome.com

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