On Friday, Dec. 29, Janelle “Nellie” Wollenburg of Winona State University passed away at age 37. An email was sent out to students on Jan. 22 to inform students of her passing and resources on campus to take advantage of during this time.

“Choose peace and find strength as we hold on to fond memories of Janelle’s presence at Winona State, and gently connect with those among us who will struggle with this loss,” the email reads. “Send peaceful thoughts, energy and prayers in the direction of Janelle’s family and friends.”

According to this email, Nellie Wollenburg was from Lyle, MN and pursuing a degree in Healthcare Leadership. Her obituary states that she was a wonderful mother to her two children and coached volleyball, softball and basketball in the Lyle area. Nellie was known to be an incredibly giving person, even giving the “gift of life to twin babies through surrogacy.” She had just completed her first semester at Winona State University.

Dr. Kim Radtke, Undergraduate Program Director of the Healthcare Leadership & Administration Program at WSU was Nellie’s instructor for HLA 300 Foundations for Healthcare Professions. Radtke explained that Nellie was an incredibly hard-working woman and mother, as she had a full-time job in Healthcare was pursuing a degree and was devotedly committed to raising her family.

“Nellie was a sincere, genuine, honest and compassionate person who persevered despite the battle she was fighting that no one knew about,” Radtke stated. “All HLA faculty and students loved working with her. She was a very kind human being who will be truly missed; I pray that she is now in a peaceful and pain free place and she will be reunited with her children one day.”

Janet Macon, dietitian and instructor in the Department of Health, Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences and the Healthcare Leadership and Administration program, was also an instructor of Nellie and echoed the sentiment of her perseverance and honesty.

“Even as she battled enormous personal challenges, she was consistently respectful and hesitant to ask for any accommodations that she thought may cause more work for her faculty,” Macon said. “Nellie was passionate about the health curriculum we shared. Nellie’s devotion to her children, Hunter and Layla, was palpable in her work and correspondence.”

After Nellie’s passing, Dr. Kim Radtke read back an email correspondence that occurred during the semester of Nellie’s classes at Winona State. Radtke stated that she didn’t realize the impact of Nellie’s words at the time, but now after her passing the “words really shook [her] to the core of [her] being.”

“Life though, has continued to teach me while you are trying to prevail out of the darkness it continues to challenge you,” the email from Nellie stated. “I am a very proud, stubborn Irish woman. Life is continuing to teach me to pivot, to be the opposite which means I am asking for grace.”

When asked what she would like to see in a written remembrance of Janelle “Nellie” Wollenburg, Radtke answered with a lesson that anyone and everyone should take with them.

“Some of us are fighting a quiet battle others know nothing about. In life we have a choice. Choose to be kind, caring, generous, honest and humble,” Radtke said. “Please pray to end domestic violence and suicide.”

A celebration of life was held on Jan. 6, 2024, in Austin, MN. Her obituary states that she loved the outdoors, gave the greatest hugs, loved to bake and do arts and crafts and was overall a “natural light in the world,” now making the world dimmer without her.

“Though her loss brings darkness, Nellie’s memory, like her life, brings light. Live free, keep dancing in the rain, catching snowflakes on your tongue and continue to stop and smell the flowers,” Nellie’s obituary states. “Thanks for the memories! Until we meet again, goodbye beautiful.”