PHYLLIS EILEEN (DAHLEN) WANLESS, 96, of Decorah died Saturday, March 6, 2021 at Wellington Place.
Phyllis was born November 12, 1924 at home in Glenwood Township to Alex and Henrietta (Bakken) Dahlen, the oldest of five children. She was baptized, confirmed, and married at the Glenwood Lutheran Church.
She attended country school and graduated from the Decorah High School in 1944. She worked one summer at Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She then returned to Glenwood Township and taught country school for two years.
Phyllis married Bernard L. Wanless on October 3, 1946. To this union, three children were born; Barbara, DiAnn, and Dalen. They farmed near Burr Oak for 17 years and then bought a farm near Hesper and farmed there for almost 49 years. She worked for the food service at the North Winneshiek School for ten years. She has resided at Wellington Place since 2013.
Phyllis is survived by her daughter DiAnn (Donald) Lundtvedt; her son-in-law Carsten Christopherson; five grandchildren Curt (Deanna) Christopherson, Bryan (Susan) Christopherson, Dawn (Daniel) Decker, Daniel Lundtvedt, and Dwayne (Lisa) Lundtvedt; twenty great grandchildren; and two great great granddaughters; her sister Hazel (Dean) Downing; sister-in-law Nan Dahlen; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Alex and Henrietta; her husband, Bernard in 2013; her son, Dalen in 2019; her daughter Barbara in 2019; her sisters; Helen, in infancy, Lila (Vernon) Ruen, and brother, Arnold (Peggy) Dahlen.
A private family funeral will be held at the Hesper Lutheran Church. Burial will be in the Hesper Lutheran Cemetery.
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