Schmitz Funeral Home obituary - Crescentia Wellman, 96, Texas

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Crescentia Wellman,96, of San Antonio, Texas, passed away Sunday, December 13, 2020.
She was born August 13, 1924, in West Point, Iowa, the daughter of Ben and Theresa (Merschman) Wellman. She was a 1942 graduate of St. Mary’s High School in West Point, Iowa. Crescentia's first job was at Sheaffer Pen Company in Fort Madison to earn money for schooling. In January 1944, she entered Peoria, Illinois St. Francis School of Nursing and graduated in January 1947. After graduation, she worked one year as a nurse in Keokuk, Iowa, then off to Chicago where she worked at the University of Chicago Hospitals and attended the University. After, she went to work in Seattle, Washington for one year and back to Chicago and school.

In March of 1953, she got the spirit of patriotism and joined the USAF Nurse Corps. During her twenty-eight plus years in the military she had many exciting and wonderful experiences, travelled extensively throughout the United States, England, Okinawa, Japan, Germany and made good and lasting friends. Germany was her favorite place she thought, perhaps because she had many relatives there. Her various assignments in the nursing field included obstetrical, medical, surgical, polio, clinic work, flight nursing and administration nursing. She recalls, the most exciting time for her was duty as a flight nurse. She flew stateside most of the time covering every state including Hawaii and Alaska. She also flew in the Pacific area and carried all types of patients including severely burnt and injured cases, gun shot wounded patients, psychiatric patients as well as routine. The time when a mentally ill patient went into labor and she prepared to deliver her in a helicopter (but made it to deliver her in the emergency room) and the time she had a fire on the aircraft and had to slide patients and herself down a chute, made her say a few extra prayers. Crescentia retired from the Air Force in June 1981, her highest rank attained was Colonel USAF Nurse Corps.
Throughout her retirement, Crescentia volunteered with may organizations, especially the Legion of Mary.
Survivors include her two sisters: Dolores Freitag of West Point, Iowa and Phyllis Ward of West Point, Iowa; one brother: Ron (Linda) Wellman of West Point, Iowa; one sister-in-law: Marilyn Wellman of Keosauqua, Iowa and several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 23, 2020, at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in West Point, Iowa.
Those attending are required to wear a mask and social distance.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 23, 2020, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point with Father Dennis Hoffman as Celebrant.
Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in West Point with full military rites presented by the West Point American Legion Holtz-Geers Post #668.
Memorials have been established in her memory for St. Mary’s Catholic Church, or Wounded Warriors Project.
Online condolences may be made to the family atwww.schmitzfuneralhomes.com. Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements.

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