Lucille Belch

The memorial Mass for Lucille Belch of Sebeka will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Wadena, with Father Jean-Claude Duncan as celebrant. Visitation will be held at the church on Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with Prayers at 9:30 and a Rosary at 9:45 a.m. Visitation will continue until the time of the Mass. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, Wadena, MN. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ View the Mass at: https://www.facebook.com/MarysACC/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lucille, age 83, passed away unexpectedly on March 20, 2026, at Essentia Health in Brainerd, MN. Lucille “Lucy” was born to Alois and Clara (Buettner) Kempf on November 9, 1942, at Wesley Hospital in Wadena, MN. She attended country school district #18 and Sebeka High School where she graduated as Valedictorian with the Class of 1960. She continued her education and was employed as a secretary and accountant at Mason Brothers Wholesale in Wadena for over 40 years. On September 1, 1962, Lucy married John “Jack” Belch at St. Hubert’s Catholic Church in Bluegrass. They made their home in rural Sebeka where they raised their children. Most of all, the community will remember Lucy as a dedicated and cheerful volunteer with the VFW Auxiliary, Wadena County Humane Society, 4-H dog training, and at St. Ann’s Catholic Church. For 10 years she and Jack trained Leader Dogs for the Blind. She had a gift for socializing, and one favorite getaway was fishing in Canada. Preceding Lucy in death were her husband, John (2023); parents, Alois and Clara; children D’Jauna Belch and Allen Belch; parents-in-law, Thomas and Alma (Zwack) Belch; and sister-in-law, Judy (Sliter) Kempf. Surviving Lucy are her son, Terry (Mary Lou Solari) Belch of Waco, TX; grandchildren, Jonathan Belch, Justin (Liz) Belch, Steve (Tressa) Cullen, and Declan Cullen; great-grandchildren: Kiara, Kaitlynn, Kiela, Kenny (Nae) Silva, Evin, Emma, Aniah, and Siahna Silva; siblings, Leo (Sharon) Kempf of Wadena and Lois (Bernard) Schoon of Sebeka; along with a host of extended family, dear friends and trusty neighbors. Honorary urn bearers will be Joseph Schoon and Miles Schoon. Serving as urn bearer will be Justin Belch. Memorials in Lucy’s name may be directed to Wadena County Humane Society (www.wadenacountyhumanesociety.org/donate), VFW Auxiliary (213 1st St SE, Wadena), St. Ann’s Catholic Church (www.marysacc.org/give) or Leader Dogs for the Blind (donate.guidedogs.com). In memory of our dedicated trainer and friend, A Dog Sculpture and Plaque will be located at the Wadena County Humane Society’s new facility, 910 Ash Ave NE. Donations for the Lucille Belch Memorial may be dropped off at the Wadena State Bank (main office) at 304 1st St SE or mailed to Wadena State Bank PO Box 191 Wadena, MN 56482 Questions: Contact Abby at 218-639-2177

Lucille Belch

November 9, 1942 - March 20, 2026