Stella Elizabeth Numedahl

Stella E. Numedahl, age 104, of Decorah, Iowa, died Tuesday, December 20, 2005 at Aase Haugen Home in Decorah following a brief illness. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday, December 23, 2005 at Decorah Lutheran Church by Rev. Bryan Robertson, with burial in Calmar Lutheran Cemetery in Calmar, Iowa. Friends may call from 10:00 A.M. until the time of services on Friday at the church. Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah is in charge of arrangements. Stella Elizabeth (Wheatman) Numedahl was born August 2, 1901 in Springfield Township, Winneshiek County, IA, the daughter of Richard and Rachel (Fristad) Wheatman. She was educated in the rural schools. She was united in marriage with Clarence Numedahl on October 12, 1921 at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church by the Rev. Paul Koren. To this union one son, Richard John, was born. During their married life, Stella and Clarence lived in many towns in southern Minnesota where Clarence plied his trade as a butter maker. They lived in Preston, Spring Valley, Kenyon and Wykoff; but when they decided to retire in 1958 they moved back to Decorah where they built a home. Clarence passed away in 1986 but Stella lived in their home until 2002 when she moved to the Aase Haugen Home. During World War II their son Richard was a navigator on a B-17 bomber with the United States Air Force. His plane was shot down over Austria on February 20, 1945, and he was killed. Just before he went overseas he married Audrey Thompson of Preston, MN. Stella was a Gold Star mother and was recently honored for being a member of the VFW Auxiliary for 63 years. She was a member of Decorah Lutheran Church and a long-time member of the Ladies’ Guild. Stella had many talents. She loved to sew, embroider and make quilts, and she was a wonderful cook, but her greatest talent was helping people, particularly members of her family. Whenever anyone needed help, Stella was always right there. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Clarence; her son, Richard; her 5 brothers: Herbert, Ernest, Ralph, Robert and Walter; her 4 sisters: Clara Numedahl, Mabel E., who died at age 2, Mabel Numedahl and Ethel Hagen. Three of the Wheatman sisters married three Numedahl brothers. She is survived by one niece, Verdis Little of Decorah; 2 nephews: Roger Wheatman of Decorah and Kenneth Numedahl of Owatonna, MN; and many grand-nieces and –nephews.