Wells, Mary Lucille 1917 - 2010

WELLS, BRAY, GAINOR

Posted By: Doris Hoffman, Volunteer (email)
Date: 12/12/2010 at 10:37:36

Mary Lucille Wells

Date of Death
Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Le Mars, IA

Mary Lucille Wells, 93, of Le Mars passed away Tuesday, August 10, 2010 at Park Place Estates in Le Mars.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, August 12, 2010 at St. James Catholic Church in Le Mars with Reverend Matt Hewitt officiating. Interment will be at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery-Neptune, rural Hinton, Iowa. Visitation will be after 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at the Carlsen Funeral Home in Le Mars with a 4:00 p.m. Catholic Daughters of America Rosary. The family will be present to greet friends until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday evening at the funeral home. Visitation will continue Thursday morning from 9:30 a.m. until service time.

Pallbearers will be her grandchildren.

Mary Lucille Bray was born May 29, 1917 near Westfield, Iowa to James “Frank” and Rose (Gainor) Bray. Lucille attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Le Mars for ten years and graduated from Le Mars Central High School in 1936. During World War II, Lucille worked for the F.B.I. in Washington, DC. She was united in marriage to Fay R. Wells on July 3, 1943 in Augusta Georgia. To this union 4 children were born, Gary, Patricia, Daniel, and Douglas. In the late 1940’s, the family returned to Le Mars and continued in the family business, Wells Dairy, Inc. Along with being a mother, Lucille had worked as a secretary for the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce. In the 1960’s Lucille attended Westmar College and graduated with a degree in psychology in 1969.

Her faith played a very important role in her life. She was a longtime member of St. James Catholic Church in Le Mars where she had been involved with many church organizations, to include: St. James Altar Society, Catholic Daughters of America since 1936, Word of the Aposolate of Fatima, Catholic Blue Army, Legion of Mary, 3rd Order of Carmelite, Deanery Representative to the Sioux City Diocese, and work of Holy Angels. Lucille assisted with the founding of the Queen of Peace Memorial in Sioux City working from conception to reality. In 1982, Lucille took a tour around the world with the Catholic Blue Army to assist with the development of ideas for the Queen of Peace project. She was part of the Queen of Peace Founders Group from 1981 to 1985 and served on the Queen of Peace Board of Directors from 1985 until 2000 when she became an ex-officio member of the board.

Survivors include her 4 children, Gary Wells and his wife Kessa of Le Mars, Patricia Wells Minthorn and her husband Larry of Omaha, Nebraska, Daniel Wells and his wife Lisa of Le Mars, and Douglas Wells and his wife Ellen of Le Mars; 11 grandchildren, Ben Wells of Scottsdale, AZ, Andrew Wells of Le Mars, Melody Wells Minthorn of Iowa City, IA, Natalee Minthorn Pippert of Omaha, NE, and Huldah Minthorn-Niles of Twin Cities, Jacqui Wells of Le Mars, Mackenzie Wells of Le Mars, Carley Wells of Le Mars, Kathryn Wells of St. Louis, MO, Joseph Wells of Chicago, IL, and Sarah Wells of St. Lois, MO; 5 great grandchildren, Finn Wells Minthorn, Fay Wells Minthorn, Matilda Niles, Jade Wells, and Jerzie Wells; a brother, Joseph Bray and his wife LouAnn of Burbank, CA.; and a sister Lorraine Laubender of Los Angeles, CA.

She was preceded in death by her parents, James “Frank” and Rose (Gainor) Bray; 3 sisters, Rosemary Green, Rita DeMarco, and Delores Bray; and three siblings in infancy, Iona, James, and Francis.

Source: Carlsen Funeral Home
Le Mars, Iowa