Willadene Malmberg

Doris Willadene (Ellis) Malmberg, 87, of Wayne, Nebraska passed away Monday, May 15, 2017 at Providence Medical Center in Wayne, Nebraska.  Funeral services will be Friday, May 19, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the Victory Road Evangelical Free Church in Norfolk, NE; Pastor Mike Vincent will be officiating. The visitation will be Thursday, May 18, 2017 from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.  at the Bressler-Munderloh-Smith Funeral Home in Wakefield, NE.  The burial will be at the Springbank Friends Cemetery in Allen, NE at 3 pm. Memorials may be directed to the family for future designation. Arrangements are under the direction of Bressler-Munderloh-Smith Funeral Home in Wakefield. Willadene was born September 11, 1929 near Allen, NE to Donald Marvin and Emma Ella (Waddell) Ellis. She attended school in Allen.  While growing up on the farm, Willadene helped her dad do field work and chores. Since she wore bib overalls while working outside, she received the nickname “Bill.”  Willadene graduated in 1948. Following graduation, she worked in an office in Sioux City. On March 8, 1952, she married Arvid Malmberg at Springbank   Friends Church and the couple lived on a farm east of Allen. Willadene worked beside her husband on the farm working with livestock and helping with field work. While living near Allen, she was a member of Springbank Friends Church. She was also a Sunday School Teacher and a member of the WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union) and assisted with 4-H. In September 1982, Arvid and Willadene moved to Norfolk, NE.  During retirement they traveled frequently throughout the United States and Canada.  In September 2013, Arvid and Willadene moved to the Brookdale, formerly the Oaks in Wayne. Willadene was a member of the Victory Road Evangelical Free Church in Norfolk. Willadene is survived by her daughter, Marie (Bob) Janke of Wayne, NE; grandsons, Brent (Cara) Janke and their children, Logan and Jackson of New Eagle, PA, Michael Janke of Wayne, NE; sister, Donella Johnson of Wayne, NE; and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arvid in 2014 and son, John in 2013; parents, Donald and Ella Ellis; sister, Charlean Feierfiel; brother, Ralph; and- brother-in-law, Theodore Johnson.