Stella (Gunderson) Wallace

Stella was born in rural Blair, Wis., to Syver and Hilma (Knutson) Gunderson on April 1, 1920. She attended the little one room school house up the road and graduated from Blair High School in 1937.

Stella married Anton Wallace on May 30, 1940, in Blair, officiated by Rev. K.M. Urberg, and they had 53 years together before Tony passed away in 1993. Together, Tony and Stella had, and are survived by, four daughters Susan (Cal Grosskopf) Wise of Onalaska, Lucille Pohl of Onalaska, Kathryn Samuelson of Park Falls, Wis., and Randine (Pete) Mitrovic of Onalaska. Along with her daughters and sons-in-law, Stella left behind eleven grandchildren and eight step-grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and 12 step great-grandchildren, and 2 step great, great grandchildren. Stella is further survived by her sister, Lucille (Robert) Baldwin of Lincoln, Neb., and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who loved her.

Stella was a longtime member of the Onalaska Senior Citizens group and a member of Sand Lake Wesleyan Church. She enjoyed fishing with her husband, spending time with her family, going to yard sales and hosting her own, doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and playing cards and games with family and friends.

Stella was preceded in death by her parents, her husband; two brothers and their wives, Harold and Borghild Gunderson and George and Laura Gunderson; and two sons-in-law, William Pohl and Roger Samuelson.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 13th, at 11:00 a.m., at Sand Lake Wesleyan Church, N5761 Sand Lake Road, Onalaska. Pastor Craig Coe will officiate. Committal services and burial will take place at 3:00 p.m. Saturday at Rest Haven Cemetery in Blair. Friends may call at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home, 907 Sand Lake Rd., Onalaska, on Friday from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m., and at the church on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Mayo Clinic Heath System Hospice Program, c/o Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare Foundation, 700 West Ave. So., La Crosse, Wis., 54601, or to Sand Lake Wesleyan Church, N5761 Sand Lake Road, Onalaska, Wis., 54650.

Stella and her family would like to extend a huge thank you to the nurses, home health aides, pastoral care and support staff of the Mayo Clinic Health System Hospice Program for their caring ways and their support during Stellas illness.