Dakin Funeral Home LP

Rayhons in Duncan, Iowa, on Dec. 15, 2007. Family and friends ate pork roast and danced polkas to celebrate the union of a widow and a widower, both in their 70s, who had found unexpected love after the deaths of their long-time spouses. For the next six-and-a-half years, Henry and Donna Rayhons were inseparable. She sat near him in the state House chamber while he worked as a Republican legislator. He helped with her beekeeping. She rode alongside him in a combine as he harvested corn and soybeans on his 700 acres in northern Iowa. They sang in the choir at Sunday Mass. “We just loved being together,” Henry Rayhons says. Today, he’s awaiting trial on a felony charge that he raped Donna at a nursing home where she was living. The Iowa Attorney General’s office says Rayhons had intercourse with his wife when she lacked the mental capacity to consent because she had Alzheimer’s. She died on Aug. 8, four days short of her 79th birthday, of complications from the disease. One week later, Rayhons, 78, was arrested. He pleaded not guilty. To convict Rayhons, prosecutors must first convince a jury that a sex act occurred in his wife’s room at the Concord Care Center in Garner, Iowa, on May 23. If prosecutors prove that, his guilt or innocence will turn on whether Donna wanted sex or not, and whether her dementia prevented her from making that judgment and communicating her wishes. The State of Iowa vs. Henry Rayhons offers a rare look into a complex and thinly explored dilemma that will arise with increasing frequency as the 65-and-over population expands and the number of people with dementia grows. It suggests how ill-equipped nursing homes and law enforcement agencies are to deal with the nuances of dementia, especially when sex is involved. The combination of sex and dementia also puts enormous strains on family relationships, which turned out to be a critical element in the Rayhons case. His four children are supporting him. Two of Donna’s three daughters played a role in Rayhons’ investigation. Through their a... (Bloomberg)

Leila was born on June 19, 1944, in Cooperstown, The daughter of Burt and Faye (Gavette) Ferguson.  Her childhood was spent in Davenport Center, where her family owned and operated Ferguson Grocery Store.  She attended Charlotte Valley Central School until her senior year when her family moved to Phoenix, Ariz., where she graduated from Central High School.On Oct. 7, 1962, Leila married D. Paul Marquit in the Davenport Methodist Church.She was employed by the Stanford Bakery in 1962 and Victory Markets from 1963 until 1975, where she was the produce manager and the assistant manager of the Morris location.  In 1975, Leila and Paul opened the New Berlin Marquit Supermarket where she worked day and night.  In 1977, they opened the Morris Marquit Supermarket and a few years later they opened Easy Way in Richfield Springs.They also purchased and managed the New Berlin recreation Lanes in the late ’70s.  As a tutor at Unadilla Valley Central School for 15 years, her passion was making a difference in her students’ lives.She was very proud throughout the years, that she was able to take classes at the SUNY Morrisville Extension at the Norwich Campus.  She also enjoyed architectural work, laying out plans for house additions and store projects.  When not preparing at home for her students she also enjoyed putting puzzles together and playing games on her I-pad.  However, the thing Leila enjoyed most out of life was spending time with her family.  Her proudest achievement was her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  The family was blessed to be able to share a family vacation to Myrtle Beach in June.Leila was very involved in the Town of New Berlin’s bi-centennial celebration.  She was also involved with the New Berlin Youth Days, receiving the citizen of the year award in 1995, and the New Berlin Rotary, receiving the Paul Harris Fellow Award.  She was also an honored life member of the New Berlin Fire Department Auxiliary.In addition to her husband Paul, Leila is survived by her children, Michelle Pers... (AllOTSEGO (blog))