Ellen Lucille Link

Ellen Lucille “Nellie” Link, beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother was called home on November 27, 2020, to be reunited with the love of her life, Lyle. Together they will be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  

A Mass of Christian Burial for family will be held at St. Columbkille’s Catholic Church on Thursday, December 3rd, 2020 at 10:30a.m. A recording of the funeral Mass will be posted to the Leonard Funeral Home and Crematory’s Facebook page, immediately following the mass.  Please “Like” Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory on Facebook to view the funeral. A memorial dinner for friends and family will be held at a later date. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Nellie was born on December 12, 1930, the daughter of Richard and Lucille (Latimer) Chapman. Nellie grew up in Dubuque. She went to St. Columbkille’s Grade School and graduated from St. Columbkille’s High School in 1948. While Nellie was in high school, she worked at the Trausch Baking Company, wrapping cupcakes, and the National Butter Company, wrapping butter. After high school, she worked at the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company as a telephone operator. This job enabled Nellie to embark on the trip of a lifetime! She traveled on a Greyhound bus trip across the country to California with her best friend, Lois (Link) Drexler. The all-inclusive journey cost a whopping $159.00, and included stops in Denver, Salt Lake City and Flagstaff. 

It was because of her friendship with Lois that she met the love of her life, Lyle Link (Lois’s cousin), on a blind date. They were married on September 12, 1953 in St. Columbkille’s Catholic Church. Together they would create a faith-filled home for their five wonderful children and celebrate 66 years of marriage.   

She loved her family more than anything and poured her heart into every family gathering, outing and picnic. She made sure that everyone had enough to eat and would always cater to the likes and dislikes of every family member. You always knew there was going to be a favorite food for everyone. She was always ready with a one-liner and a quick wit that would make everyone laugh. She never wanted to miss a minute of a family gathering. Some of her favorite family getaways were summers at Freddie’s Beach at Lake Delhi and The Wisconsin Dells. She especially looked forward to her annual Women Only Weekends (W.O.W.) with her daughters which was a tradition of 27 years. 

After the family was raised, Nellie worked for The Dubuque Community School District School Lunch program. She loved being outdoors and this sparked her new passion for golf. She was always up for a round of golf, was a long-time member of Lacoma Golf Course and even had “a Hole in One."

She is survived by her five children, daughters: Jeannie Omel, Sue (Jim) Burdt, Mary Beth (Ken) Montgomery, Lori (Ed) Welu and son Steve (Kris) Link. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Jeff (Rick Ramos) Beecher, Sara Burdt, Christopher (fiancé Katie Lyons) Welu, Katie Link, Alex Link, Staci (Michael) Shaw, Meg (Tim) Tyree; and great-grandchildren Keyonta, Jakobe, James and Jasiah Burdt, Jamison Shaw and Alex Tyree. She is also survived by brother-in-law Ken (Sandy) Link, sisters-in-law Helen Kelleher and Diane (Al) Bahl and numerous nieces and nephews.  

She was preceded in death by her husband Lyle, parents Richard and Lucille; siblings Doreen (Bert) Thibadeau, Jack (Anna Mae) Chapman and Bobby Chapman; brother-in-law Jim Kelleher; son-in-law John Omel and granddaughter Renee Burdt.  

The family of Nellie would like to say a SPECIAL thank you to The Hawkeye Care Center and their AMAZING staff. Also, a sincere thank you to Hospice of Dubuque, Dr. Angela Kelley and her nurse Jen, whose compassion and care for our mother will never be forgotten.   

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