Ethel Wallestad

MADISON - Ethel Meyer Wallestad passed away on June 11, 2014. She was 106 years old. Ethel was born to Nels and Bertha (Mikkelson) Holm on March 23, 1908 in Arkdale. She was the youngest of ten children and acquired the nick name Babe as the baby of the family. She was preceded in death by her parents, her five sisters and four brothers. Ethel graduated from Friendship High School and went on to graduate from the Madison General Hospital School of Nursing. Besides being a stay at home mom until her first husband died, she was a school nurse and later became the head nurse in the Radiology Department at the UW Hospital in Madison retiring from there in 1973.
Ethel married Frank Meyer in 1929. They had three boys who survive her; Donald (Donna) of Baraboo, Gary "Butch" (Judy) of Madison and Timothy (Mary Jo) of Arkdale. Frank preceded her in death in Oct. of 1946 due to a hunting accident. She is further survived by six grandchildren; Kurt (Astrid) Meyer, Krista (Tom) Wargo, Kyla Meyer, Brett Meyer, Laura Meyer, and Rebecca (Kevin) Rossenbach, four great grandchildren; Alex and Sophia Wargo, Isabel Meyer and Cooper Rossenbach, and multiple nieces and nephews.
She married her second husband, John Wallestad in 1948; he preceded her in death in 1963.
We would like to thank the staff at Oakwood Nursing Home Covenant Oaks, Cardinal Cove Wing, for their care of Ethel and the staff from Agrace HospiceCare for their care of Ethel in her final days. They all assisted in making her final days more comfortable for Ethel and her family.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday June 17, 2014 at OAKWOOD VILLAGE WEST, UNIVERSITY WOODS, 6205 Mineral Point Road, Madison with Pastor Martha Nack presiding. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 10:30 AM until the time of the service on Tuesday at Oakwood Village West.