Wells, Lorene (1923-2007)
WELLS, COON, RICKE, SIELA, FITZPATRICK, MENTZER
Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 4/12/2010 at 23:13:03
Lorene Wells - Aug. 17, 1923 - Mar. 9, 2007
Lorene Wells, age 83, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died on Friday, March 9, 2007, at the Buena Vista Manor in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Lorene Marie Rose Coon was born on August 17, 1923, on the John Joseph Coon and Lotivena “Lottie” Louisa (Ricke) Coon family farm, 8 ½ miles southwest of Early in Boyer Valley Township, Sac County, Iowa.
She was baptized, received her First Communion and was confirmed at Sacred Heart Church in Early.
Lorene attended elementary school at Boyer Valley No. 9 Country School and received her religious education at Sacred Heart’s “vacation school.” She attended Early Consolidated High School, graduating in May 1941.
Helping neighbors with newborn babies, she continued to live with her parents on the farm until the Coon family moved to Sac City in January 1945. In the fall of 1944, Lorene first became employed with Colburn Insurance in Sac City. In addition, she took on a part-time secretarial position for Msgr. Joseph Tolan, working with the diocesan youth organization and other St. Mary’s (Sac City) parish functions.
Lorene then engaged in employment at the Sac City State Bank as a teller where she also operated the check-posting and proofing machines. Subsequently, she worked at the Sac County Treasurer’s Office, typing tax receipts and warrants. Moreover, she took on evening part-time work for the Sac County Sheriff’s Office.
Lorene was proficient in Gregg shorthand, which served her well throughout her business working career.
On August 19, 1953, Lorene was united in marriage to Willis Wilbert William Wells of Varina, Iowa, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sac City, Iowa. Two children were born to this union, LaDonna Louise Wells and Craig Willis Wells.
Lorene and Willis began their life-long “labor of love” in row-crop farming and livestock production near Varina. In March 1961, the family moved to the farm southeast of Storm Lake. They retired to Storm Lake in 1989.
Always of special interest to Lorene throughout the years were arts and crafts. In October of 1956, she received a congratulatory letter from Pope Pius XII in recognition of her hobby/small-business venture of designing Blessed Virgin Mary and Child May Altar Grottos from feed-sack fabric and nylon lace. In the late ‘60’s and ‘70’s, Lorene was also employed as the Director of Arts and Crafts Program at Methodist Manor.
In May 1971, Lorene was named Buena Vista County Rural Homemaker in addition to being a member of the Buena Vista County Home Economics Committee.
Lorene was active for many years in the Storm Lake St. Mary’s Guild, serving as president and also volunteered as a religious-education instructor for St. Mary’s CCD program. She was a member of St. Mary’s Church, the Legion of Mary, Sursum Corda Prayer Group and prayer line.
Throughout the years, Lorene enjoyed shopping at antique stores, bazaars and garage sales as well as sewing and quilting, gardening and canning, cooking and baking cookies and bars for neighbors, friends and family – homemade buns were her specialty.
A favorite pastime of hers was playing 500 cards and getting together with the Pizza Group, the Hayes Farmers and Friendly Neighbor Clubs; but most of all, Lorene treasured spending time with her four grandchildren and visiting with relatives and friends.
For their 25th wedding anniversary, Lorene and Willis traveled to Hawaii, and in 1988, they journeyed to the Holy land, walking in Jesus’ footsteps, visiting the places in Isreal where our Lord had lived and worked, including Bethlehem and Jerusalem. They also spent time in Egypt and the Netherlands. In 1990, the family flew to New York where they took an Amtrak train to the quaint village of Stowe, Vermont, to visit the Von Trapp Family Lodge of Sound of Music fame – a place Lorene had always dreamed of seeing. Among other enjoyable family journeys, highlight trips include a visit to Living History Farm to see Pope John Paul II and the “mystery” bus trips hosted by Commercial Bank Emerald Club.
Left to cherish her memory are daughter LaDonna Wells of Grand Island, Nebraska; son and daughter-in-law Craig and Cindy Wells of Storm Lake; beloved grandchildren: Angela, Lincoln, Winston and Nolan Wells; sisters-in-law: Ann Wells of Pocahontas, Bernice Wells and Kathryn Siela, both of Fonda; brothers-in-law: Thomas Fitzpatrick of Storm Lake and Orville Wells of Fonda; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and extended family members and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Willis; brother Anton “Leonard” Coon and his wife Genevieve Coon; sister Lucille E. Mentzer and her husband Russell P. Mentzer.
Funeral Service will be Tuesday, March 13, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Storm Lake with Reverend Bruce Lawler officiating. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery. The arrangements are under the direction of the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home of Storm Lake.
Visitation will be at Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake from 3-8:00 p.m. on Monday, March 12, 2007, where there will be a Legion of Mary rosary at 3:30 p.m. and a vigil service at 7:00 p.m.
May God bless the memory of Lorene Wells.
Copyright © 2007, Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home
Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home
Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by LaVern Velau.
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