Obituaries

Viola J Wille

Photo of Viola J Wille
Viola J. Wille, 91, of Rogers, Ark., passed away July 16, 2018. She was born June 17, 1927, in Fond du Lac, Wis., the daughter of Herbert and Marie Grassl Todd. She is preceded in death by her husband Hilbert H. Wille; a brother, Harold Todd; and a grandson. She is survived by her children, Joan Walton of Goodyear, Ariz., Gail Baudendistel of Olympia, Wash., Mary Ochs of Rogers, Ark., and Clare.Polking of Boone, Iowa; her siblings, Marcella Bellmer of Oconomowoc, Wis., Dorothy Fritz of Fond du Lac, Wis.; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Viola worked for JC Penney in Fond du Lac after high school graduation. She enjoyed this work. It afforded her the income to ride horses. At JCP, she met her husband Hilbert (Bert) Wille. They were married for over 50 years, and raised four daughters. They moved to Wausau, Wis., when Bert was transferred by JCP. To pursue a business opportunity for Bert, they moved to Portage, Wis., for a time, and then later moved back to JCP in Wausau. Viola supported Bert's endeavor to obtain his accounting degree through long distance snail-mail classes (before online classes), and when the children were old enough to be "latch-key kids", Viola went to a vocational school to learn skills for an office job. She worked an evening shift to chart water flow over a dam. In 1960 Bert was able to realize his dream of a store of his own in Sibley, Iowa, so they moved again. For 25 years Bert and Viola, and several very loyal employees, kept a department store going. A pride and joy for Viola was a kayak that she assembled from a kit. She would go paddling and fishing and swimming. She taught swimming lessons at a nearby YMCA. She raised and went to dog shows with Pembroke Welsh Corgis and then switched to Shelties. They enjoyed hosting several foreign exchange students. Viola became a first lady of Sibley for a number of years when Bert was elected city mayor. Active church membership was important to both Viola and Bert throughout their marriage, participating in a variety of ways. Viola kept in touch with her sisters and brother through the years with letters, phone calls, and visits back to Wisconsin. When Bert died in 2004, Viola stayed in Sibley for a year, then sold the home and moved to Rogers, Ark. She loved her time in Rogers with great friends, swimming in Beaver Lake, Opera in the Ozarks, and other cultural events; visits with her cousin Gloria; and for a time, Mother Seton Society and Classy Ladies. Declining health necessitated a move to the Innisfree Nursing Home, where staff tenderly cared for her and her last days were comfortable and peaceful. Funeral Mass is August 14, 10 a.m., at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, and burial will be at the St. Andrews Cemetery in Sibley, Iowa, on August 17.

Published August 11, 2018

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