Arlene Wensman

Arlene H. Wensman, age 78 of Belgrade, died peacefully on Monday, September 7, 2020 at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

A private family service will be held. Interment will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Freeport.

Arlene Helen Wensman was born October 27, 1941 in Freeport, Minnesota to Anton “Tony” and Rose (Bueckers) Wensman.  The family moved to Belgrade in 1942.  In 1946, Arlene contracted polio, prior to the introduction of the polio vaccine.  Consequently, she spent a lot of time off and on in Gillette Children’s Hospital starting in 1946 for nine months.  The shortest time was six weeks and the longest period was fourteen months. Even though Arlene missed a lot of school, she was fortunate to be able to graduate with honors with her class from Belgrade High School in 1959.  She then attended St. Francis School of Medical Record Technology in Breckenridge, Minnesota, graduating in 1960.

Arlene worked at North Memorial Medical Center for two and a half years before working in an OB-GYN office for 27 years as office manager.  When that office closed, she worked as secretary to one of the physicians at Twin Cities Orthopedics and later she worked for the same office, out of her home, as their medical transcriptionist for 18 years.

Due to post-polio syndrome with continuing weakness, Arlene entered the Belgrade Nursing Home where she was the president of the Resident Council for four years. She moved to Pine Villa Care Center in Melrose where she was also president of the Resident Council for one year.

Arlene enjoyed sewing, embroidery, knitting, playing cards, BINGO, reading, cooking and baking, going to Las Vegas with her sisters and mother, gardening, and visiting with family and friends.

Survivors include her brothers, Robert (Shirley) Wensman of Sauk Centre and Linus (Mary Lou) Wensman of Crystal; sisters, Carol (David) Mott of Onamia, Lois (Michael) DesParte of Blairsville, Georgia, and Cynthia Cohen of Buffalo; and sisters-in-law, Mary Ann Wensman of Greenwald and Pat Wensman of Paynesville.

Arlene was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Melvin, Denis, and Ado Wensman; sister-in-law, Marcey Wensman; and brother-in-law, Victor Cohen.

Please direct memorials to the Gillette Children’s Hospital and Camp Courage.