Lenora Whelchel

Lenora Whelchel

May 16, 1934 - December 26, 2013

Send Flowers

Obituary

Lenora Whelchel, 79, Sydney, ND died Early Thursday morning December 26, 2013 at her home in Sydney.

Lenora Henke was born May 16, 1934 on the farm in Fredonia, ND, the daughter of Fred Henke and Hanna (Schnieder) Henke. She received her elementary education at the local school and grew to womanhood in the vicinity.

She and Donald Whelchel were married October 26, 1974 at Jamestown, ND. They made their home in Jamestown until 1988 when they moved to a farm near Sydney. After the death of her husband in January of 2010, she continued to reside in Sydney.

She faithfully attended the First Baptist Church. She owned the Little Jim's Café in Jamestown where she met her husband Don. They later started Northside Grocery until selling it and purchasing the Gackle Grocery Store. She operated the store until her retirement in 2008. She loved to cook and do gardening and canning.

She is survived by her children, Virginia (Jeff) Brown, Jamestown ND; Wallace Wiest, Fargo, ND; MariAnn (Troy) Letcher, Jamestown, ND; Dennis (Eva) Wiest Jamestown, ND; Ronald (Twila) Whelchel, Esbon, KS; Kathy Fairbanks, Sedgewick, KS; 17 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren; 1 great great grandchild; 3 brothers, Wilfred Henke; Art Henke, both of Jamestown, ND; Melvin Henke, AZ; and 1 half brother, Delbert Henke, Nortonville, ND.

She was preceded in death by her parents and step mother; husband; 1 son, Steven; 1 stepson, Don, 2 brothers, Verjane; Fred and 2 step brothers, Duwayne Eckman and Marvin Eckman.

Funeral Service - 10:30 AM Tuesday December 31, 2013 at the Haut Funeral chapel in Jamestown, ND with Pastor Wayne Bangs, officiating

Visitation: 9 -7 Monday December 30 at the funeral home.

Events

There are no events for Lenora yet.

Photos

Add photos
of Lenora
No photos of Lenora have been shared yet.

Memories

Add a memory of
Lenora
RD
Rosemary (Henke) David
Other •
Sorry to hear about Lenora, always had a great time when we would meet up at family get togethers. God Bless you all. Rosemary
MS
Mary Anne Sperle
Other •
My heartfelt sympathy to friends and family of Lenora. It's been so many years since we've been together, but the memories are close to my heart. May you find peace in the New Year. Sincere condolences, Mary Anne Sperle 126203 East Shore Drive Aberdeen, SD 57401
KF
Katherine Fairbanks
Other •
Lenora was a presence in my life for over 40 years. During that time I came to admire her for her strength and perseverance. In hard times she always managed to find ways to overcome them. She took very good care of my father and I know they both loved each other very much. I remember the summers with smiles when they would make their annual trips to Kansas to spend time with the Whelchel families. She dealt with the repeated Whelchel stories with grace and never tired of them. She had a love for children and loved to hold the babies. I know she cared deeply for all her children, grandchildren, and grant-grandchildren. As the years passed and we would end our phone conversations she would say, "Good Bye, I love you dearly". I could always feel her sincere love. Thank you Lenora for being a part of my life and for the memories and all the love you gave to my father, family and me. Forever rest in peace. Love, Kathy
V
Vickie
Other •
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. I remember working for her and Don at Gackle when they owned the store. She was always smiling.

Share memorial