Wendell ‘Bones’ Willrett

A celebration of life will be conducted from 4-6 p.m., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, at Martin-Mattice Funeral Home in Ruthven.

"Bones" Willrett, Wendell if you didn't actually know him, passed peacefully in his sleep on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, at 86 years old.

Bones was born to Rudolph and Bertha Willrett on May 29, 1938, in Algona. He spent his first few years near Irvington, but his true childhood home was a farm just west of Burt. He was baptized into St. John's Lutheran Church of Burt. He graduated high school in Burt, where he played basketball and participated in school plays.

After high school, Bones worked in road construction, until being drafted into the Army in 1963. After his discharge, he went back to building roads until he met and married Sharon Kelly in 1967, at St. Cecilia's Catholic Church in Algona. He then went to work for Hjelmeland Construction. In 1986 he went to work for the Kossuth County secondary road department, and retired in 2002. After retirement he unofficially worked with/for his son Gary, doing construction work again, mostly around the Lost Island Lake area.

Bones loved his place at Lost Island, loved keeping his house, yard and landscaping beautiful. He always had projects going, and was rebuilding his dock as of two days before the end. He and Sharon enjoyed many vacations to Mexico, where despite speaking no Spanish, he always came home with stories of the locals and new friends he had made. He will be missed by a large community around the area, where he was always relied on to help out a neighbor, or at very least lean on a truck and "supervise" any and all projects in the area, and where people still marvel at the fact that he was still water skiing at 78.

He is survived by Sharon, his wife of 57 years; his son Gary of Ruthven; two grandchildren, Bethany and Trace; his brother, Duane (Karen) of Spencer; and two nieces, Kristine and Kelly.

Arrangements by Martin-Mattice Funeral Home, martinmatticefuneralhome.com.