Arthur Paul Wells

1927 - 2021

Arthur Paul Wells

Arthur Paul Wells, 93, of Plymouth passed away Friday night, January 15, 2021 at the Beatrice Community Hospital. He was born on March 13, 1927, to Arthur Bruce and Merna Mae (Schroeder) Wells in Jansen. He was baptized on February 14, 1932, by H. Wilkens. Junior (as he was also known) attended Jansen Public School until 1938 when the family moved to Fairbury and he attended school for one year in Fairbury. While living in Fairbury, he was confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church on June 2, 1940. The family moved to Plymouth in 1940 where Junior attended 8th grade and high school, graduating in 1945. Art was drafted into the Army in September of 1945, one of the last draftees of World War II from Jefferson County. While in the service, he was stationed at Fort Knox, KY, where he was a mechanic in the armored division. After being discharged in November of 1946, he returned to Plymouth and joined his father in A.B. Wells and Son implement business. On November 27, 1949, Art and Alverta Rehm, a classmate, were united in marriage. Three children were born to this union. When A.B. Wells retired in 1964, Junior and Alverta then operated Wells Implement. Through the success of the business over the years, they won trips to Mexico, Reno and Las Vegas, Hawaii, Spain, Switzerland, London, a Rhine River cruise and an ocean cruise from New York to the Bahamas.

As a member of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Art served in various positions. He was a member of the Plymouth American Legion and had been involved in the Plymouth Businessmen's Club. At one time, he served on the Plymouth School Board. Art enjoyed golfing, bowling, trapshooting, fishing, traveling, playing cards and attending his children's and grandchildren's games. He had a life-long hobby of building and flying model airplanes. Also interested in sports, he was an avid fan of the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago Cubs, and of course, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Having started as an Allis-Chalmers dealer, orange tractors were always his favorite.

Art is survived by his wife, Alverta Wells of Plymouth; daughter, Pamela Hoge of Plymouth; sons, Greg (Ruth) Wells of Beatrice and Mark (Deb) Wells of Plymouth; granddaughters, Wendy McKenzie (Evan Jones) of Western, Lorie (Wade) Heidemann of Plymouth, April (Paul) Barnes of Lincoln, and Larissa (Adam) Frey of Woodbury, MN; grandsons, Benjy Wells of Phoenix, AZ, and Michael (Laura) Wells of Plymouth; ten great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; sister, Glenola (Lowell) Germer of Clatonia; sisters-in-law, Shirley Imes, Darlene Rehm, and Hazel Rehm; numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, and son-in-law, Charles Hoge.

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery, west of Plymouth, with Pastor Justin Dauck officiating. Burial will be at St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery with military rites conducted by Schopp-Ewing-Nispel Post #243 of the Plymouth American Legion. Masks are recommended and social distancing will be observed. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran High School in Waco or St. Paul's Lutheran School in Plymouth. The body will lie in state at the Fox Funeral Home of Plymouth Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. www.foxfuneralhome.net Fox Funeral Home of Plymouth is in charge of the arrangements.