Funeral services for Helen B. &uot;Nellie&uot; Allis, age 88, of Wells, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19 at St. Casimir Catholic Church in Wells. The Rev. Eugene Stenzel and the Rev. Bryan O’Rourke will officiate. Visitation will be at the Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., and continues one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Interment will be in St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery.

Nellie died Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2002, at the Parkview Care Center in Wells.

She was born Aug. 31,1914, in Barber Township, Faribault County, the daughter of Arthur and Bridget (McCarrick) O’Rourke.

Nellie graduated from Blue Earth High School and had one year of teacher’s training. She taught for five years before her marriage. She was married to Clarence “Bob” Allis on June 21,1937, in Easton. She was a member of St. Casimir Catholic Church, its Rosary Society, the C.C.W. (Council of Catholic Women), St. Veronica Circle #9, and taught religion classes at St. Casimir’s for many years. She was a mentor for the ESL (English as a Second Language) in the Wells schools. Nellie was a wonderful mother and farmwife, proud of her Irish heritage. She loved her children and grandchildren and all children, the farm, music and politics. Her beautiful smile and kindness to others will be cherished always.

She is survived by daughter-in-law, Julie Allis of Worthington; three daughters: Joan (husband John) O’Halloran of LaGrange, Ill., Mary (husband Mark) Brummer of Alden, and Nancy (husband Dan) Wagner of Stillwater; three sons: Arthur (wife Nancy Jo) Allis of Wells, Patrick (wife Debra) Allis, of Wells, and Bill (wife Connie) Allis of Wells; 20 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; one brother, Cyril O’Rourke of St. Paul; one sister-in-law, Hazel O’Rourke of Wells; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Clarence, in 1991; two sons, Robert in 1970, and Dick in 2002; one grandson, Paul, in 2000; seven brothers: Frank, Harold, Earl, Bonnie, Arthur, Dan and Charles O’Rourke; and three sisters: Maryce Stenzel, Margaret Zelezny and Kathryn Michelson.