I have many special memories of John. I spent many sleepovers nights with my dear friend Lisa. One occasion I remember, was when John brought Lisa and I back to college in Minneapolis. He asked if we were hungry and took us out to eat. It wasn’t just any place, he took us to “Charlie’s”, one of the nicest restaurants in the city. That was John. What a special treat. I remember John talking about his family. He was so proud of them. He also told us that having kids was a blessing and they keep you young!
He was a special person!
Hugs to your family💗
Dr. John O. Welle, DDS
April 15, 1933 – March 16, 2023
Dr. John O. Welle, DDS, 89, of Paynesville, MN passed away peacefully on March 16th, 2023, at his home in Paynesville.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at St. Louis Catholic Church in Paynesville. Reverend Glenn Krystosek will officiate. Burial will take place in the St. Mary Parish Cemetery in Melrose.
Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Daniel-Anderson Funeral Home in Paynesville. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services on Thursday at the church with a Knights of Columbus rosary prayed at 9:30 a.m. in the church.
John was born in Melrose, MN on April 15th, 1933 to Ambrose and Ursula (O’Keefe) Welle. He was united in marriage to JoAnn (Petermeier) Welle at St. Boniface (now St. Mary’s) Catholic Church, in Melrose, MN in 1956. John attended the University of St. Thomas as an undergraduate, and ultimately graduated from Marquette University School of Dentistry in 1958. Together John and JoAnn started raising a family in Milwaukee, WI and eventually moved to Bloomington, MN where John began practicing general dentistry and orthodontics. In 1970, John and JoAnn moved to Paynesville, MN where he ran a successful, solo dental practice for nearly 50 years and retired from dentistry/orthodontics in 2007.
John loved spending time with family and friends and making memories. He was often the life of the party and a real character. Some of John and JoAnn’s greatest family memories were created at their lake cabin on Big Birch Lake, north of Melrose. John spent as much time as he could with family and friends sailing on Big Birch Lake. He was also an avid snow skier and often traveled to Colorado on ski trips with family and friends. One of John’s other passions was youth hockey. He and his wife JoAnn were instrumental in the formation and development of Paynesville Youth Hockey, starting in 1972. He spent numerous years as President of the Association and assisting with coaching of his son’s various hockey teams. John and JoAnn developed many lifelong friendships during their years of service to Paynesville Youth Hockey.
John was also involved in the St. Louis Catholic Church in Paynesville for many years. His catholic faith was a very important part of his life. John sang in the church choir for many years and taught catechism to children from the Catholic Church on Wednesday nights. John was also a member of the Knights of Columbus.
John is survived by his wife JoAnn (Petermeier) Welle, and by his children Lisa (Michael) Case, Mark Welle, Christopher (Grace) Welle, Gregory (Lynn) Welle, Thomas (Kelly) Welle; sister Joan (Welle) Dougherty of Long Prairie, MN; 10 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
John was preceded in death by his parents Ambrose and Ursula (O’Keefe) Welle.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Catholic Charities. Website is support.crs.org or ccstcloud.org/donate-funds. Donations to be made in memory of John O. Welle.
Guestbook
John was a great man. Proud of his family and loved his irish heritage too. We were able to enjoy his company on many occasions. Many good memories of John and Joanne and all of the kids. We will miss him.
John was my favorite uncle. Always a smile and a good conversation. I always enjoyed my time with John and JoAnne at birch lake in my younger days. My favorite times were the windy days when John would take us sailing. It was so much fun to run the length of Big Birch Lake on the sail boat and see how far we could lean into the wind. Hope you are up in heaven sailing with some of your best buddies John. You will be missed. Love ya, Naomi Worms Casebolt
34 years ago, when we moved to Paynesville, we started seeing John as our family dentist and orthodontist, on the suggestion of his niece and our friend Eva (Worms) Kluempke. Our relationships with John soon went from patients to friends as his love of life and people became so apparent. We are out of the country and unable to attend his funeral, but we will be thinking of he and Joann, keeping them both in outr hearts and prayers.
Uncle John was such a funny, bright, and sweet uncle! Such a colorful uncle!!! Even when he was working on my teeth…..he always had me laughing so hard, the tears were rolling down my cheeks….
Uncle John was such a funny, bright, and sweet uncle! Such a colorful uncle!!! Even when he was working on my teeth…..he always had me laughing so hard, the tears were rolling down my cheeks….
Services
Schedule Details
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 23, 2023 at St. Louis Catholic Church in Paynesville. Reverend Glenn Krystosek will officiate. Burial will take place in the St. Mary Parish Cemetery in Melrose.
Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Daniel-Anderson Funeral Home in Paynesville. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services on Thursday at the church with a Knights of Columbus rosary prayed at 9:30 a.m. in the church.