Mass of Christian Burial for Rachel Ann Wallace, age 85 of Odebolt, IA, will be at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at St. Martin's Catholic Church in Odebolt. Burial will follow in the St. Martin's Catholic Cemetery in Odebolt. A visitation will be held Monday, May 22, 2023, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at St. Martin's Catholic Church in Odebolt. A Rosary will be prayed at 7:00 p.m. at the conclusion of the visitation. Farber & Otteman Funeral Home of Odebolt has been entrusted to care for Rachel and her family. Mrs. Wallace passed away on May 19, 2023, at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center in Sioux City, IA. Rachel Wallace, age 85 of Odebolt, IA, passed away on Friday, May 19, 2023, at MercyOne Medical Center in Sioux City, IA.
Rachel was born on July 24, 1937, on a farm near Ashton, IA, to Gregory and Helen (Dingel) Fettes. She was baptized at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ashton. The family moved to Sibley, IA, when she was three. Rachel attended and graduated from Sibley Public School in 1955, and then attended Briar Cliff College in Sioux City where she received her teaching certificate. She then taught school in Graettinger, IA.
On December 27, 1958, Rachel married William Francis Wallace at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Sibley. To this union three children were born: William Greg (Rendee) Wallace, Linda Leigh (Roger) Sleight, and Lisa Ann (Jim) Wallace-Spech.
In September of 1959, Bill and Rachel opened their business, Wallace Soft Water Service. During the next 41 years, they expanded the business to include wholesale products and serviced customers in an eight-county area. In January of 2000, they turned the business over to their son William, and retired. In their retirement they spent many winters in their Texas home and many days at their cottage on the lake in Okoboji, IA, in the summer. Rachel was a member of St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Odebolt, where she taught religion classes for many years. She was a trustee of the Odebolt Public Library Board and held the offices of secretary and president for several years.
Rachel is survived by her husband, William F. Wallace of Odebolt, IA; daughters Linda (Roger) Sleight of Odebolt, IA, and Lisa (Jim) Wallace-Spech of Omaha, NE; daughter-in-law Rendee Wallace of Odebolt, IA; grandchildren: Kristina (Larry) Boysen of Ida Grove, IA, Angela Wallace of Odebolt, IA, Chad (Courtney) Sleight of Odebolt, IA, Bret Sleight (Andrea Peterson) of Bellevue, NE, Brian, Will, Raeana, and Jeff Spech of Omaha, NE; great-grandchildren: Mason and Maddox Lantz, Temperance Ironshell, Cooper and Crosby Sleight, Ella and Elijah Boysen; siblings: Don (Ginny) Fettes of Mankato, MN, Ruth (Joe) Lakers of Des Moines, IA, Rita (Jim) Adams Pyle of Milford, IA, Bill (Lynda) Fettes of Sioux Falls, SD, Dolores Pyle of Okoboji, IA, Alan (Deb) Fettes of Okoboji, IA, and Loretta (Michael) Callahan-George of Vancouver, WA; brothers-in-law Timothy Baland of Blanche Lake, MN, Jerry Clark of Milford, IA, and Bill Jungers of Ocala, FL; many nieces, nephews, other extended family members and friends.
Rachel was preceded in death by her son, William Greg Wallace; her parents; sisters Susan Johnson and Carol Baland; parents-in-law William Eldon and Irene (Koch) Wallace; brother-in-law Jim Johnson; and sisters-in-law Irene Clark and Judy Jungers.
