Ardella R (Jones) Ohlen

Lake Crystal Mortuary
648 S. Main Street
Lake Crystal, MN 56055
(507) 726-6161

Ardella Rose (Jones) Von Ohlen, child of God, wife of Lynnis, mother of Debera Rae, Gregory Lynn, Gail Elizabeth, Melinda Rose and Paul August, passed from this life Wednesday, April 3, 2013.

A Memorial Service will be held at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, April 13, 2013 at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Butternut. Private family burial will be in the church cemetery. A funeral service was held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 9 at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Clarkston.

Ardella was the third child of Owen D. and Martha Elizabeth (High) Jones of Lake Crystal, Minn. She was born in Mankato, Minn, at Immanuel Hospital, Blue Earth County Sept. 20, 1929.
At age 5 she started first grade at Judson Consolidated School in Judson, Minn; and continued grades nine through twelve at Lake Crystal High School, graduating in 1947.

After high school she was employed at the Franchere and Smith Clinic, Lake Crystal until marriage to Lynnis Eugene Von Ohlen on May 31, 1949. They farmed in the Nicollet, Minn, area. In 1954 they moved with their children Debera and Greg to Clarkston, where they built and operated Lynn's A&W Drive-in until August 1958 when they returned to Minnesota and resumed farming. Gail was born in Clarkston in 1956, and Melinda in 1960 and Paul in 1967 after returning to Minnesota.

The family was active in Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Butternut, Minn; also the Farm Bureau, 4-H and exhibited at the Blue Earth County Fair. Ardella was a member of ELCA and served in various positions, including establishing the quilting group and the church library. She belonged to the Cambria Township County Extension program, where she taught cake decorating for several years; and belonged to the Mankato Rose Society, where she was a recipient of numerous awards for her roses and floral designs.

After her youngest child started school, Ardella enrolled at Mankato State University, with the goal of earning her art degree. She later determined her primary interest was in floral and landscape design, so she transferred to the university's Waseca branch and majored in Horticulture.

In 1973, she had the opportunity to start her own business, Country Rose Floral and later expanded to a location in Lake Crystal, where she opened Von Ohlen's Rose Window in 1976. She continued to operate her florist and gift shop for 10 years at that location until she and Lynnis moved to Texas in 1986.

In Texas, she was an asset to several florists working as head designer and sharing her design and business management skills.

In 1990, they relocated to Little Rock, Ark., and Ardella retired from floral design. They later chose Clarkston as their preferred retirement location, and moved to their new home in 1994. Although retired, Ardella continued to express her passion for flowers and landscape design with her beautiful roses, flower gardens, fruit trees and vegetable gardens.

She continued to design landscapes and gardens for family and friends, and participated in the Nez Perce County Fair into her 83rd year.

As a child of the depression, she was sensitive to those in need and shared the abundance from her gardens and orchard with the local food bank. She also shared her loving nature for animals by rescuing several families of abandoned kittens, two which were welcomed into her home, Miss Nibs and Nilda James.

Ardella is survived by her husband, Lynnis E. Von Ohlen of Clarkston; daughters, Debera R. Molohon of Clarkston, Gail E. Von Ohlen of Mankato, Minn., Melinda R. Von Ohlen of Clarkston; son, Paul A. Von Ohlen of Mankato, Minn.; granddaughter, Aubrey C. Lantz of Lake Crystal, Minn.; grandsons, Joseph T. Roberts of New Ulm, Minn., Patrick E. Molohon of Clarkston, Aaron G. Scharnweber of Des Moines, Iowa, Edward D. Scharnweber of Wanamingo, Minn., John C. Chambard of Mankato, Minn., Ross Chambard of New Ulm, Minn.; great grandsons, Wyatt Roberts, Wayne Roberts, William Roberts, Landon Lantz, Levi Lantz and Soren Scharnweber; great-granddaughter, Alexis Lantz; sister, Elvira G. Epp of Lake Crystal, Minn.; brother, Eldon D. (Helen) Jones of Lake Crystal, Minn. She was preceded in death by her son, Gregory L. Von Ohlen and parents, Owen D. Jones and Martha E. Jones.

Remembrances may be directed to the Asotin County Food Bank Association in Clarkston or the Lewis-Clark Animal Shelter in Lewiston, or the charity of one's choice.