JoAnn Kurtz Welling, 77, Amherst, died Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, following a battle with lung cancer.
A memorial service will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, at Lake Emily County Park in Amherst Junction, with a ceremony at 4 p.m.
Condolences may be offered online at www.caringbridge.org/visit/jowelling or by mailing BJ and Carol Welling, 247 Edgewood Road, Custer, WI 54423.
Ms. Kurtz Welling was born July 26, 1935, in Kanawha, Iowa, a daughter of the late Willis and Bessie Kurtz. She received a nursing degree from Iowa State University.
She was married Erich Welling on Jan. 29, 1960, in Chicago, Ill. They divorced in 1985.
She continued her education at Elmhurst College and worked as a psychiatric nurse.
After retirement she moved to Amherst where she operated as a massage therapapist out of her home. She continued her education in massage therapy at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif.
She was a member of the Central Wisconsin Network and was a lifelong political activist, artist and social organizer.
Survivors include three sons, Tom, BJ (Carol) and Brent (Nancy); her former husband of 25 years, Erich Welling; two brothers, Daryl (Ronna) Kurtz and Larry (Carlynn) Kurtz; and three grandchildren.
