Violet Welling

Violet Loletta “Kay” (Groff) Welling, daughter of Harold Groff and Ruby (Hardisty) Groff, was born Jan. 31, 1929, at the family farm in Taylor County. She departed this life on Dec. 9, 2021, at Mount Ayr Health Care Center at the age at 92.

Violet grew up in the Corning, Carl, and Brooks area, attending country schools and Corning High School.

Violet “Kay” Loletta Groff was united in marriage to William “Rex” Welling, Aug. 2, 1947, in Creston. Rex and Kay farmed in Union, Madison and Ringgold counties, before moving to their farm southeast of Tingley in the spring of 1966.

Kay started working as a nurses aide at Sunny Slope Nursing Home in 1969. When the Mount Ayr Health Care Center was built, Kay continued serving their many residents for decades.

Kay moved to Mount Ayr in 1981, shortly after Rex’s death, where she resided until her move to Mount Ayr Health Care Assisted Living in May of 2014. Kay remained in assisted living until her stroke and was moved to the nursing home wing in January 2019.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Rex in 1981; her mother, father and stepfather; her parents-in-law; brothers: Ivan Groff, Leo Powell, Charles and Kenneth Powell; brothers-in-law: Owen Junior, Richard Welling, Daniel Wilkerson and Lloyd Berry; sisters-in-law, Lois Berry and Kathy Wilmeth; two grandchildren, Nicole and Matthew, one great-grandson, Alden.

Loletta (Kay) will be missed and eternally remembered by her daughter, Peggy Privette (Bob) of Sun City, AZ; sons, Keith Welling (Debbie) of Indianola and Reldon Welling (Nita) of Corvallis, OR; her sisters-in-law: Sharon Groff, Bonnie Powell and Kay Wilkerson; brothers-in-law, Don Welling (Irene) and Dick Wilmeth; her grandchildren: Bill Welling (Kellie), Andrew (Sabrina) Privette, Clint Welling (Dawn), Natalie Wangner (AJ), Kylee Krizmanic (Nick), Tashia Nelson (Matt), Nathan Welling, and Tane Welling (Alyssa); and her 14 great-grandchildren.

Kay loved spending time in her kitchen, cooking and baking, and was known for her delicious cinnamon rolls and angel food cake. She a hardworking woman and will be greatly missed for her kindness and love for her family.

Per Kay’s wishes, she has been cremated and no services are scheduled. She will be buried at a later date in the Evergreen Cemetery, Creston, Iowa.

Memorials are to EveryStep Hospice in Mount Ayr.

Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr is in charge of the arrangements.