Wallace V. Janssen, 78, of Willmar, Minnesota, formerly of Merrill, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at his home in Willmar. Services will be held at 11 AM, Saturday, August 13, 2016 at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar, Minnesota. Friends may call 1 hour prior to the services at the church. Interment will be at 2 P.M., Monday, August 15, at the Hillside Cemetery, Merrill, Iowa. Military Honors will be provided by the Oleson-Halweg American Legion Post No. 125 from Merrill.
Wallace Vernon Janssen was born on February 10, 1938, in Plymouth County, Iowa, near Merrill, Iowa, the son of William Henry and Marie Johanna (Kock) Janssen. He moved to Willmar, Minnesota in 1948 with his family. He continued and completed his education there, graduating from Willmar High School in 1956. Wallace worked for a cable company in Willmar and Mankato and then for Great Northern Railroad before entering the armed forces. He joined the Air Force in 1959 and served until 1963, as an Airman First Class. During his time in the service he was a technician on the Atlas Missiles and served during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Wallace made his home in Atlanta, Georgia and worked as a private flight instructor. In 1965, Wallace went to work as a flight instructor for Delta Airlines and retired for Delta in 1996 as a pilot with the rank of Captain, flying MD-88 planes. Following his retirement he moved permanently to Willmar. Wallace loved to meet with family and friends for coffee at Dunn Brothers and enjoyed farming, photography, and researching his German ancestry.
He is survived by three siblings: Norman Janssen and special friend Ellie Frank of Cleveland, MN, Carolyn ( John) Swanson of Spicer, MN and William ( Janet) Janssen of Mankato, MN. Also surviving is his godmother, Margaret Pecks of Le Mars, Iowa, and many nieces, nephews and cousins in America and Germany, besides other relatives and friends.
Wallace was preceded in death by his parents.
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