Dorene D. Willmsen

Dorene Willmsen, age 83, of Arlington, passed away surrounded by family at the Oak Terrace Health Care Center in Gaylord on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Funeral services will be Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 at 11 AM at St. John's Lutheran Church in Arlington Township. Visitation will be on Friday, February 20, 2015, 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Kolden Funeral Home in Arlington, MN, visitation will continue one hour prior to the services at the church on Saturday morning. Pastor Gary Ruckman will officiate the services. Interment will be at St. John's Church Cemetery. Dorene Dorothy (Mehlhop) Willmsen was born in Arlington on Feb. 5, 1932. She was the daughter of John and Ella(Buckentin)Mehlhop. She was baptized in 1932 and was later confirmed in 1946, both at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Arlington. She graduated from Arlington High School in 1950. On Sept. 29, 1951, Dorene was united in marriage to Reuben Willmsen at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Arlington. After their marriage, the couple farmed in Arlington township until they moved to Arlington in 1987. The couple was blessed with four children. Dorene loved to garden, play cards, dance, read, go shopping, and in the summer she loved to spend time at the lake. She especially loved spending time with her family and in the past few years, babysitting her great grandchildren. She was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, alternate for St. John's Altar Guild, member of the Good Samaritan Auxiliary and the Arlington Golden Age Club. She was a former member of St. John's Lutheran Ladies Aid. Dorene is survived by her husband, Reuben; children and their families: Deb (Charly) Furth and their children Katie (special friend, Bryan) and Sam Furth; Mike (Kris) Willmsen and their children, Nick (Anna) Willmsen, Caden & Hadley, and Ben Willmsen (significant other, Annie) and Avery, step grandchildren, Eric (Brooke) Brockhoff, Erin (Peter) Keller; Brad (Carol) Willmsen and their children, Danny, Neil, Paul and Scott; Tammy Kubal and her children, Kirby (fiancé, Brittany) Kubal and Hunter, and Brittany (Matt) Turner; sister and brother-in-law LuAnn and Martin Kuphal, Jr.; many nieces and nephews. Dorene was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Virginia, brother Howard, daughter-in-law Vicky Willmsen, son-in-law Gary Kubal, brothers and sisters-in-law Harold and Orma Hardel, Bill and Dorothy O'Brien and Bernice Hoefs. Arrangements by Kolden Funeral Home in Arlington.