Evelyn (Wellner) Arneson
Evelyn Veronica (Wellner) Arneson, age 73, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, September 21, 2025. Evelyn was born on March 20, 1952 to Clarence and Bernice (Lancor) Wellner.
Growing up on the family farm in the days when horses were still used to take out the manure and homemade bread was the best treat, she enjoyed picking wildflowers and picnics in the woods with her siblings. As a kid she favored the inside chores while Margaret Ann favored the outside chores. Visits from Uncle Norbert, Sister Veronica, and Sister Narcissa, along with Grandma Wellner coming to stay were looked forward to. They always prayed the rosary with Grandma Wellner. Uncle Norbert called her, “Vel”.
After high school, Evelyn attended cosmetology school. Upon graduation, she worked and lived at Dolores Frederick Larson’s beauty shop in the Town of Lafayette and she kept in touch with her up until Delores’ passing a few months ago. Over the years she lived in Hawaii, Kentucky, and Georgia. She worked at many places, including Martin’s Fish Pond and a gas station where truckers shared their stories with her. She kept in touch with friends she made there over the years, Claudia and her Savannah Family. For many years she worked nights as a supervisor at Mason Shoe, along with being a hairdresser at Beautyland in Stanley, and dairy farming with her father.
Her daughter, Melissa was born at one pound and 13 ounces in Savannah, Georgia and she was HER SUNSHINE. Evelyn spent her life providing love and care for her daughter, nieces and nephews, sisters, and father.
She taught Sam and Ben how to make rosaries like she made as a kid. She helped Carolyn sew many Care Bears and was like a mother to her from 1981 and forward, although she did tell her a week ago that she was her, “baby sister”. She made curtains for Jean. The sisters tied several quilts together that are still on our beds. She was Always There.
When Nicole, Anna, Sam, and Ben were each little, she took care of them during the day and worked at night. She had special memories with each of them. She treated them with love and always reminded them of her love for them. Ben would go to the barn with her when he was a toddler, hand her the wash cloth with a stick out of the pail to wash cows with, lay his mittens on the heater to dry, wash potatoes, help bake a cake (including her upside down pineapple streusel made up recipe)– they were always busy but Evelyn always made time for a game of Crazy 8’s or Pegs in the Park. She told him, if you don’t tell Evelyn, she won’t know. They also picked wild mushrooms, made dandelion wine together and many batches of Christmas cookies to cut, frost, and decorate. Then Blake came along and she created special memories with him too, including sleepovers. Then came Clarence and Hallie. She said if she could, she would drive right up there and stay for a long time. She always enjoyed hearing stories about them.
For some time, we had sewing get-togethers and sewed the plastic canvas that Marianne cut out for us. Each sister had a special place in her heart. The sisters created memories over the years, along with taking a trip to Herrschners in Stevens Point where each got a special sewing pin. In later years, Jean and Evelyn went to a special apple orchard up North, to the Septober Fest in Wabasha, and to Exeland for fresh cranberries out of a gravity box. Evelyn would always help Jean pick the strawberries over and make the dressing for Thanksgiving. She cut everyone’s hair. She called Margaret Ann every year on her birthday to wish her a happy birthday and she called Marianne frequently.
She enjoyed trips to the cabin on Webb Lake with her nieces and nephews, cards & dominoes with her cousins, and all kinds of family gatherings. She enjoyed her trip to Georgia with Melissa and always talked about being on that shrimp boat. Evelyn believed that family comes first and she showed us all how to do that. Evelyn did a lot of cooking and baking, including many pans of fried fish. She and Jean made up their own recipes, including blackberry cobbler. She milked cows and unloaded hay, working hard with family is what life was all about. She loved wildflowers, birds, and the beautiful colors of the fall trees. Family and faith meant everything to her. She prayed her rosary every day. If she wanted more time for anything, it would have been for spending it with her family that she loved so much.
She started what she named the Fall Gathering in 2016. In 2025, the Fall Gathering came to her at the hospital in Marshfield.
The love Evelyn gave us all over the years has left many wonderful impacts on our families, friends, and everyone she met. Her bright smile and big heart, strong work ethic and love of life will forever be in our hearts and always in our prayers. Work hard, play hard. She never complained. Her favorite color was yellow, like the bright star she was. Karen Peterson Welch loved her deeply and was by her side praying the rosary aloud with Christian music in the background when she passed.
Evelyn was preceded by her loving parents, Clarence Joseph and Bernice Evelyn (Lancor) Wellner and her nephew, Eugene Ellis.
She is survived by her daughter, Melissa Arneson (Paul Welch), brothers Paul (Donna) Wellner, Peter (Judy) Wellner, and sisters Margaret Ann (Allen) Hanke, Marianne (Dave) Ellis, Jean (Mike) Fredrickson, Carolyn (Randy) Simmons, many nieces, great-nieces, nephews, and great-nephews and many very dear friends.
She was a bright star to countless friends, including the young kids she was supervisor for on the night shift at Mason Shoe, the hospital staff, and the Davita staff. She enjoyed the friendship of her Leid family neighbors very much and enjoyed talking about what they were doing as they are always busy canning, gardening, sewing, or growing flowers. She thought about them often and they always brought a smile to her face. She was so happy to see their Edgewood School children come to sing Christmas carols, “Oh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, Shine On”. She really enjoyed the Christmas cards that the children sent her, she was so surprised that the cards were for her. Recently the children gave her some flowers (pictured above) and that made her day.
Life was cut short by renal disease, which she fought with everything she had. She suffered many things and much pain, but her family was by her side. She was grateful for the excellent care at Davita in Hallie, Boyd Edson Delmar Fire and EMS, Marshfield Hospital in Marshfield, and Heartland Hospice. She was blessed by the excellent care of her daughter Melissa and Paul.
Rosary will be recited at 9:45AM and memorial visitation to follow from 10:00 AM until 11:30 AM on Friday, September 26, 2025 at the Leiser Funeral Home.
A Service of Christian Burial will be held on Friday at 11:30 AM at the Leiser Funeral Home with Deacon Willkom officiating. Inurnment at Riverview Cemetery Boyd, WI . A luncheon will follow at Boyd Lotz Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Boyd Edson Delmar Fire and EMS.