Sleeper Mortuary

10/04/2026

Remembering the Friskel Family

I'm not sure why I chose tonight to share this story but it has been on my mind lately. Some stories are difficult to tell. Not because they have been forgotten, but because they deserve to be remembered with care.

On June 21, 1988, an unimaginable tragedy struck. A car carrying two sisters and five children was struck by a freight train at a rural railroad crossing near Cherokee, Kansas. Seven lives were lost.

Katheleen "Kathy" Hastings - 31
Cara Hastings - 8
Eric Hastings - 5
Reuben Hastings - 3

Lisa Maxwell - 26
Joel Maxwell - 5
Avery Maxwell - 2

Kathy and Lisa were daughters of Paul and Patricia Friskel, former owners of Sleeper Mortuary. Kathy was remembered as a basketball star and cheerleader who graduated from Iola High School in 1975. Lisa, a homecoming queen and honor studen, graduated in 1980. Contemporary reports described the devastation that swept through Iola in the days that followed. Black banners were hung in rememberance. A community mourned. Paul and Patricia faced the unthinkable reality of losing two daughters and five grandchildren at one.

At Sleeper Mortuary, we believe that remembering the dead is about more than remembering how someone died. Its about saying their names when the years have made them unfamiliar to most people. Its about acknowledging the families who loved them, the lives they touched, and the empty places they left behind.

We have known about the Friskel family tragedy for a long time. We have intentionally taken our time before sharing their story because this is not a story we ever wanted to present as entertainment, sensationalism, or simplay another tragic chapter in local history. It is a family's pain and these seven souls deserve something more meaningful than that.

Tonight, we remember Kathy, Lisa, Cara, Eric, Reuben, Joel, and Avery. Seven people who should have had so many more years. We remember Paul and Patricia, who carried the unimaginable grief of losing their children and grandchildren. We offer our deepest respect to their family and to everyone who has carried the weight of this loss through the decades. 38 years have passed since that June day but time does not make a life less valuable. May Kathy, Lisa, Cara, Eric, Reuben, Joel, and Avery never become merely names in an old newspaper. May they remain remembered as people who were loved. May their story be told gently.

Photos are from the Iola Register, June 22, 1988, page 3

10/04/2026

Travis Wisotzkey is LIVE at the Mortuary! Come hang out!

09/18/2026

Come hang out with us!

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09/14/2026

We had the pleasure of hosting Twin Paranormal. If you want to see how their adventure went, you can watch below! Thank you for coming guys ❤️👻

This is one of the most terrifying ghost hunts we have ever done! T...

08/23/2026

This is a song from our Spirits and Strings event over the weekend. Josh is 1/2 of JB Acoustic. They are available to book for private shows, private parties, and play at several venues a year around Southwest Iowa and southeast Nebraska. If you see them on a poster or need some music, don’t be afraid to reach out to their page! Also watch their page for upcoming shows.

I posted on my personal page and this is also what I said and worth repeating:

There are moments in life when you realize that love isn't supposed to feel like a battle. it isn't supposed to leave you questioning your worth, wondering where you stand, or feeling like you have to earn the bare minimum. And sometimes, you don't understand just how much you've been missing until someone comes along and shows you what love was always supposed to feel like. Josh has changed my life in ways I don't think I could ever fully put into words. He has shown me what it feels like to have a partner who is kind without being asked, honest even when the truth is uncomfortable, attentive to the little things, and genuinely caring about the person standing beside him. Someone who listens. Someone who notices. Someone who shows up. Someone who doesn't just say they love you, but makes you feel loved. With him, Ive learned that true love can be both soft and strong. It can be safe. It can be playful and passionate, beautiful but at its core, it should make you feel like you have finally found somewhere you can breathe. He has reminded me that partnership means carrying things together, celebrating each other's victories, holding each other through the hard days, and choosing each other over and over again. Maybe the most beautiful part is that I don't just love him for who he is today. I love the person he has been, the person he is becoming, and all the parts of his story that made him who he is. Attached is a little video clip of Josh singing at Sleeper Mortuary for an event over the weekend. If you listen closely, I think you can hear pieces of him in his voice. There is passion, pain he has lived through, growth that didn't come easily, strength that was earned, and there is so much love. The kind of love that doesn't need to announce itself because you can feel it. His voice tells a story and somehow, so does the man I fell in love with. This is love and I am incredibly grateful that life brought me to him. Thank you for celebrating my birthday babe, I love you so very much!

*This is a cover of a song, he does not own any rights to the music**

08/22/2026

Guess who's back? THAT'S RIGHT! The Unholy Trinity for 2027 is LIVE! A paranormal weekend that is sure to leave you properly worn out! Tickets are limited so get them while they are hot! Its a long event weekend so we wanted to put the tickets up early so guests can plan accordingly! Link to tickets are in the comments!

08/18/2026

October 3, 2026 just opened up on the calendar!

08/04/2026

Join us Friday August 21, 2026 for an event you won't soon forget! Josh Heard is going to be performing at Sleeper Mortuary for Spirits and Strings! Get your tickets at the link and HURRY because they are limited! See you soon!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spirits-strings-tickets-1994986227510

07/30/2026

Get your tickets to the Halloween party!!