ROCHESTER -- The funeral for Evelyn J. Wenstrom will be 2 p.m. Saturday in the chapel of Luther Memorial Nursing Home in Madelia, Minn. Burial will be in Mount Hope Cemetery in St. James, Minn. A memorial service will be held June 29 at First Lutheran Church in St. James.
Miss Wenstrom, 100, of St. James, a former Rochester teacher, died Monday (March 25, 2002) at Luther Memorial Nursing Home, where she had been a resident since 1998.
She was born Aug. 30, 1901, in St. James, grew up there and graduated from St. James High School in 1918. She received her degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. In 1923 she began teaching in Slayton, Minn., and also coached the women's basketball team. In 1926 she taught foreign languages in Boise, Idaho. She took up flying and in 1930 became the first women to earn a pilot's license in the state of Idaho. Amelia Earhart enlisted Miss Wenstrom in organizing a women pilot's group in the 1930s. In 1936, she returned to Minnesota and spent 20 years teaching at Rochester High School. After retirement she returned to St. James. She won numerous awards in equestrian competition. She was a member of the American Association of University Women.
Survivors include nieces and nephews. One brother and one sister preceded her in death.
Friends may call from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Pease Funeral Home in St. James.
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Memorials are suggested to First Lutheran Church in St. James or to the donor's choice.
