Community Corner

Apple Valley Man, 67, Dies After Cancer Battle: Recent Deaths

This week the Apple Valley area also lost a pastor cum school bus aid and an active duty serviceman.

Paul Wellnitz 
Paul Wellnitz, of Apple Valley, died July 17, 2013 after battling cancer. He was 67 years old. 

He is survived by his wife, Patty; children, Chris Wellnitz, Paul Wellnitz Jr., (Pam) and Michelle Mangan (Sean); and grandchildren, Lilly, Brianna, Molly, and Katie.

Visitation is scheduled for Monday, July 22, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 at White Funeral Home in Apple Valley. A funeral service for Wellnitz will follow at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at Risen Savior Catholic Church, 1501 County Road 42 in Burnsville. A second visitation period will be held one hour prior to Mass at church. A luncheon will follow the service.

Thomas K. Johnson 
Thomas K. Johnson, PC Active Duty U.S. Army, passed away unexpectedly on July 15, 2013 in Newmarket, New Hampshire.

He is survived by his parents, Mary and Bruce Johnson; brother, Kristopher Johnson; aunts, Diane (Joe) Piette, Jean Hendrickson and Conde (Joey) Fruge; and uncles, Russell Hendrickson and Scott (Jennifer) Johnson.

A memorial service for Johnson will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 27, 2013 at St. James Lutheran Church, 3650 Williams Drive in Burnsville. There will also be a gathering of family and friends from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday at White Funeral Home in Burnsville and one hour prior to service at church. Interment will take place at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Robert Roy Ellis
Robert Roy Ellis, of Farmington, passed away on July 18, 2013 at the age of 88.
Ellis was born July 7, 1925 in Ryan, Iowa. He grew up on a farm and became a disciple of Jesus at the young age of ten, while at Bible camp. As a child he loved baseball and wanted to become a catcher. When he turned 18, he volunteered to join the Army, serving in the European theater during World War II. 

When the war ended, he returned to the U.S. and decided to pursue his education at Northwestern Bible College in Minneapolis, MN. There he discovered his calling as a pastor and met his future wife, Mildred Linscheid. The two were married in 1948. Their union resulted in five children.

Over the course of his career, Ellis pastored six different churches in five states. After retirement he served as a interim pastor, a hospital chaplain in North St. Paul, and a school bus aid in Apple Valley and Farmington. 

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mildred; one daughter, Judy; and four sons - Steven (Nancy) of Port Barrington, IL , Stanley (Julie) of Mahtomedi, MN, Roger (Cheryl) of Wales, WI and Keith (Kathy) of Farmington, MN; and with 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. 

A visitation for Ellis will be held on Sunday, July 21, 2013 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Henry W. Anderson Mortuary in Apple Valley. The funeral service will be Monday, July 22, 2013 at noon at South Suburban Free Church in Apple Valley. A private interment will be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. 


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