Obit: Will, Neland A. #2 (1926 - 2007)

Contact: Audrey Roedl
Email: audero@charter.net 

Surnames: Will, Schaffer, Stelzl, Lingl, Heckendorf, Dickey, Smith, Sieving, Armstrong, Brown, Franklin, Traas, Schreiber

----Sources: Loyal TRG 24 October 2007

Will, Neland A. #2 (11 JUL 1926 - 21 OCT 2007)

Neland A. Will, 81, Spencer, died on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007, in the Palliative Care Unit of Saint Joseph’s Hospital, Marshfield, after a lengthy struggle with cancer and diabetes. Visitation will be held at the Community Funeral Home, Spencer, on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 4-8 p.m. Rosary will be said starting at 7:30 p.m. Visitation will also be held on Thursday, Oct. 25, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Colby, from 10:30 a.m., until time of the funeral Mass at 11:30 a.m. Serving as active and honorary pallbearers are Timothy Smith, Wayne Smith, Thomas Smith, Neil Backus, Chadwick Stelzl, Steven Stelzl, Aaron Stelzl and Eric Morrow.

Neland A. Will was born on July 11, 1926, in the town of Colby, to Frank and Margaret (nee Schaffer) Will. He received his education at 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 Brothers for eight years; owned and operated the Breeze Inn. Spencer, from 1964-76; was licensed as a real estate salesman for 33 years, working with Mike Wepfer, Lee Dix, Shong Reality, 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. He was a member of the Cloverdale 4-H and FFA, the Catholic Order of Foresters for 64 years, a member of the Marathon County Tavern League. He was also a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Colby, and Christ the King Catholic Church, Spencer, where he participated in daily services. On Sept. 2, 1947, he married Velma Lingl. She died on July 7, 1980. On June 11, 1982, he married Joan Ott Stelzl. In 1993, he retired from farming and moved to the village of Spencer, Wis. He greatly enjoyed his 22 new autos and trucks, traveling, and going to auctions.

Survivors include his wife, Joan; four daughter, 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, Kristie Heckendorf, Shanna Heckendorf, Danielle Dickey, Dana Dickey, and Wayne (Sherry) Smith; 12 great-grandchildren, Skyler and Lucas Sieving, Austin and Mariah Armstrong, Lily and Reilly Smith, Reggi Brown, Cadence Traas, Haley and Kylie Franklin, Conner Smith, and Chelsea brown; four step-children, Michael (Shirley) Stelzl, Marathon, Janean (Roger) Morrow, Spencer, Janell Stelzl, Wausau, and Mark (Sheila) Stelzl, Appleton; 10 step-grandchildren, Chadwick (Christina) Stelzl, Steven Stelzl, Aaron Stelzl, Megan Stelzl, Andrea Stelzl, Cheri Friday, Kristi (Jeremy) Shreiber , Eric Morrow, Samantha and Sheridan Stelzl; four step-greatgrandchildren, Taylor Friday, Nicholas Friday, Halee Schreiber and Austin Schreiber; and brothers and sisters, Ralph (Arlene) Will, Colby, Zona (Arlyn) Schreiber, Colby, and Doris Shilling, Abbotsford, Wis.

Preceding him in death were his first wife, Velma; a brother, Donald Will; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Community Funeral Home, Spencer, is assisting the family with arrangements.