Yvonne Marilyn Wheeler

Yvonne Westfall Wheeler, formerly of Minneapolis and Rothsay, Minn., went home to be with her Savior on Sunday, June 8, 2025. A visitation will be at 10 a.m., followed by the funeral at 11 a.m., on Saturday, June 21, at Cross of Glory Baptist Church (4600 Shady Oak Rd, Hopkins). A later interment will be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Yvonne was born on the family farm, the second child of Walter and Elna Westfall in Rothsay, Minn., a white-blond little girl with curls, her dad's favorite (and only) daughter. She grew up with her three brothers helping her mom with five meals a day for the family and farm hands, oftentimes delivering those to the fields. When Yvonne graduated from Rothsay High in 1954, she moved in with three roommates in Minneapolis where she attended business school for accounting. The four girls did a lot of things together and even sent out Christmas cards together. Yvonne began doing bookkeeping for Lindahl Motors, the Wally McCarthy Oldsmobile dealership. Years later, she still spoke fondly of her time there and her respect for Wally. In about 1960, an attractive man pumping her gas drew her attention. Jud Wheeler lived just around the corner from the dealership when it was in the Minneapolis Seward neighborhood. After Jud's military service, the two married and bought a home in the Armitage neighborhood, a home Yvonne lived in from 1967 to 2023 and in which she and Jud raised their two sons, Todd and Daniel. Yvonne and Jud were very generous and had many nieces, nephews, and friends of their sons live with them over the years. They also supported many ministries and non-profits, including World Vision children whom Yvonne sponsored for 57 years. Church and her faith in her Lord Jesus Christ were a priority for Yvonne. Over time, she attended Rothsay Baptist where she started her personal relationship with Jesus, Soul's Harbor where she was married, Edina Baptist (now Grace Church), Colony Park, and Cross of Glory. She volunteered in the kitchen for Wednesday night dinners, meals for senior citizen events, and many Sunday morning coffee hours. She also was a Sunday school teacher and coordinator. After her sons were older, Yvonne worked in the kitchen at Countryside Elementary in Edina along with her good friend, Myra Fornell. She also did catering; some of the regulars on her crew were Jud and Don and Shirley Otto. In the early 1980s, Jud and Yvonne began their nearly two-decade stint as campground hosts at Scenic State Park during the month of August, a campground Jud had visited many times in his youth. Their sons have many terrific memories of fishing on Coon Lake, picking wild blueberries Yvonne turned into sauce for pancakes, biking around the grounds, and enjoying the summer outdoors with friends and cousins. When people think of Yvonne, several things come to mind besides her commitment to Christ. She was a collector-of dolls, Precious Moments, dishes, Dayton's Christmas bears, antiques, decorative plates, and more. Her artistic abilities were displayed in the many birthday cakes she made for sons, grandchildren, and other relatives. At one time, she had more than 20 shaped cake pans for such occasions. She loved Christmas and decorating for it. Fortunately, she had a large basement in which to store the decorations and an accommodating husband who got his steps in hauling boxes up and down before and after the season. Perhaps, however, the gift she gave most often was that of hospitality. She loved hosting family for Grandma Margaret's July birthday, making Jud's special Chinese meal for his birthday, preparing many of the dishes for the Swedish Christmas meals, and hosting her annual Christmas party for her friends, not to mention the many meals she made for family get-togethers. She leaves a legacy of faith for: Todd (Deana), Dan (Liz), and honorary son Andy Holmberg (Stephanie); grandkids: Osa, Britta, Sten, Linnea, Annika (Sam), Lauren, Emily, and Megan; brothers Bob (Darlene), Arvid (Nancy), and Alvin (Jan); sister-in-law Joanne Reeser, along with many special nieces, nephews, and other family and friends. She was pre-deceased by her husband of nearly 52 years, George "Jud" Wheeler, parents Walter and Elna Westfall, in-laws Mike and Margaret Wheeler, and many friends.

Tributes

Yvonne Marilyn Wheeler

October 6, 1936 - June 8, 2025

Tributes

Yvonne Marilyn Wheeler

October 6, 1936 - June 8, 2025

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