Beverly J. Welchlin

ST. JAMES - Beverly Joyce (Peterson) Welchlin, age 92, of St. James, MN, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Mankato, MN.

A Celebration of Life service will be held for Beverly at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 23rd, 2024, at the Sinn Family Celebration of Life Center in Trimont, MN (111 Apple Street East, Trimont, MN 56176) with Pastor Russ Steele officiating. Visitation will take place prior to the time of service from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturday at the funeral home. 

Burial will take place at Lakeside Cemetery in Fairmont, where Beverly will be buried next to her husband, Vance.

Beverly Joyce Peterson was born on November 10, 1931, on the family farm in Galena Township, Martin County, MN, to Theodore and Beulah (Fitzimmons) Peterson. She was baptized October 28, 1945, and confirmed on November 4, 1945, both at Waverly Lutheran Church. Beverly graduated 8th grade at School District #63, June 20, 1945, and was a June 1, 1949, graduate of Triumph-Monterey High School. In the year following, Bev completed course work at Mankato Business College and thereafter began employment at Fairmont Railway Motors.

Among her work colleagues were several by the last name of Welchlin, and, in that time frame, by coincidence, a handsome, young farmer by the name of Vance Welchlin, happened to ask pretty Bev Peterson for a dance at Interlaken Ballroom. As history would record, they were married at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairmont on February 21, 1953, in the aftermath of a typical Minnesota winter snow storm.

After residing briefly in a Fairmont 3rd floor apartment, they moved to a farm near Granada where their first two sons were born. In time, the family had the opportunity to move north to Rosedale Township near St. James where their third and fourth sons were born as they farmed a rental acreage. Within a short time they acquired and moved nearby to a farm of their own.

Bev was a quintessential farm wife and mother of four rambunctious boys. She monitored and kept a watchful eye on early-grade rural school studies, having great admiration for the boys’ rural school teachers. She served as a 4H club leader and took much interest in her sons’ FFA participation. She was a Farm Bureau Award-Winning baker and very much enjoyed the farm gatherings and couple’s club card groups.

After the last son left home, Bev ‘relaxed’ by re-entering the workforce at the St. James Tony Downs Test Kitchen for a time, then proofreading at NAI Sleepy Eye for quite a number of years. In this period of time, and in succeeding years, she suffered several severe health difficulties. Each time, she soldiered through for return to her beloved farm home. She loved the early day east window view over the corn or bean field, and the setting sun beyond the western grove of trees capped off her day.

Her life changed to a great degree at Vance’s passing on her 89th birthday in 2020, She nonetheless, determined to remain at her farm home until yet another medical downturn required care at Mayo Mankato Hospital in early September.

Her remarkable Earthly reserves gave way to the gentle blessings of Heaven early in the morning on October 3, 2024, only 38 days before her 93rd birthday.

Those remaining to cherish her memory are her sons, Cabot (Susie Conley) Welchlin, Kelly Welchlin, Dr. Corey Welchlin, and Kit (Carol Maloney) Welchlin; grandchildren, Kass (Cassandra) Welchlin, Clayton Welchlin, Carter (Brooklyn) Welchlin, Cody Welchlin, Cole (Brian) Williams, Candace Welchlin, and Kimberly Welchlin; step-grandchildren, Kyle Maloney, Shauna Maloney, and Breanna Maloney; great-grandchildren, Kyita, Zia, Corban, Viktor, Veda, Ossa; sisters, Allegra Fredrickson, Patricia Nordhausen, and Mary Petrisko; family friends, Audrey Welchlin, Rene Waletich, Kathy Welchlin, Bette Murphy, and Heidi Baier; as well as many other extended family and friends.

Beverly was preceded in death by her husband, Vance Welchlin; parents, Ted and Beulah Peterson; twin sister, Barbara (Richard) Tomlinson; sister, Kathleen (Nels) Pierson; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ed and Zella Welchlin;brothers-in-law, Richard Fredrickson, David Nordhausen, John Petrisko; as well as several other extended family members.

If you would like to leave a message of sympathy for Bev’s family, please do so below.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Beverly's name to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.