Obit: Will, Neland A. (1926 - 2007)

Contact: Crystal Wendt
Email: crystal@wiclarkcountyhistory.org  

Surnames: Will, Smith, Backus, Stelzl, Morrow, Schaffer, Wepfer, Dix, Lingl, Ott, Heckendorf, Dickey, Sieving, Armstrong, Brown, Traas, Franklin, Schreiber, Friday, Edblom, Schilling

----Sources: Marshfield News Herald (Marshfield, Wood Co., Wis.) Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Will, Neland A. (11 July 1926 - 21 Oct. 2007)

Neland A. Will

SPENCER -- Neland A. Will, 81, of Spencer died Oct. 21, 2007, in the Palliative Care Unit of Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield after a lengthy struggle with cancer and diabetes.

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Community Funeral Home in Spencer, Wis. A rosary will be said at 7:30 p.m.

The Funeral Mass will begin at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Colby, Wis. Visitation will be held one hour before the service. Serving as active and honorary pallbearers are Timothy, Wayne and Thomas Smith, Neil Backus, Chadwick, Steven and Aaron Stelzl and Eric Morrow.

Neland was born July 11, 1926, in the town of Colby to Frank and Margaret (Schaffer) Will. He received his education in the Cloverdale School, rural Colby, and was a 1944 graduate of Colby, Wis. High School. He was a dairy farmer on the same farm for 45 years; milk hauler for Kasper Cheese Factory for eight years and Will Bros. for eight years; owned and operated the Breeze Inn, Spencer, from 1964 to 1976; was licensed as a real estate salesman for 33 years, working with Mike Wepfer, Lee Dix, Shong Realty, Oestreich Enterprises and Schilling Real Estate; and operated a sand pit in the town of Colby, dealing with Bugar Enterprises of Loyal in recent years.

Neland was a member of the Cloverdale 4-H and FFA; Catholic Order of Foresters for 64 years; member of the Marathon County Tavern League; and member and former president of Clark County Tavern League; St. Mary's Catholic Church, Colby, and Christ the King Catholic Church in Spencer, where he participated in daily services.

On Sept. 2, 1947, Neland and Velma Lingl were united in marriage. Velma died July 7, 1980. On June 11, 1982, he married Joan Ott Stelzl. In 1993, Neland retired from farming and moved to the village of Spencer, Wis.

Neland greatly enjoyed his 22 new autos and trucks, traveling and going to auctions.

Survivors include his wife, Joan; four daughters, Karen (Les) Smith, Fisher, Ill., Mary Jo (Ted) Smith, Loyal, Dawn (Larry) Heckendorf, Wausau, and Karla (Robert) Dickey, Gleason; 12 grandchildren, Kim Sieving, Neil Backus, Ranata (Brian) Armstrong, Timothy (Kelly) Smith, Billie Jo (Tom) Brown, Bobbie Jo Traas, Thomas Smith, Wayne (Sherry) Smith, Kristie Heckendorf, Shanna Heckendorf, Danielle Dickey, Dana Dickey; 12 great-grandchildren, Skyler and Lucas Sieving, Austin and Mariah Armstrong, Lily and Reilly Smith, Chelsea Brown, Reggi Brown, Cadence Traas, Haley and Kylie Franklin and Connor Smith; four stepchildren, Michael (Shirley) Stelzl, Marathon, Janean (Roger) Morrow, Spencer, Janell Stelzl, Wausau, and Mark (Sheila) Stelzl, Appleton; 10 stepgrandchildren, Chadwick (Christina) Stelzl, Steven Stelzl, Aaron Stelzl, Megan Stelzl, Andrea Stelzl, Cheri Friday, Kristi (Jeremy) Schreiber, Eric Morrow, Samantha and Sheridan Stelzl; four stepgreat-grandchildren, Taylor Friday, Nicholas Friday, Haylee Schreiber and Austin Schreiber. Further surviving are brothers and sisters, Ralph (Arlene) Will, Zona (Arlyn) Edblom, Colby, and Doris Schilling, Abbotsford, Wis.

Neland was preceded in death by his first wife, Velma; a brother, Donald Will; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.