Nola R. Wallace

While visiting her sister in Wisconsin, Nola, 80, died in the Marshfield Medical Center-Park Falls Hospital, on December 19, 2020. Don’t be sad for Nola Wallace’s passing. She is preceded in death by her husband, Donald Wallace; her parents, Myrtle and Henry Nubson; two older sisters, Patricia (Nubson) Blooquist and ReNee (Nubson) Rouse. She is with them now. She leaves behind a brother, Henry C. “Buster" (Geri) Nubson; her sister, Vernette "Skip" (Bill) Moravek; her nieces and nephews, and her friends.

Nola graduated from Greenbush HS, MN, in 1958. She went on to nursing school in Minneapolis at the Northwestern Hospital and receive her RN degree in 1961. She married Donald Wallace in a Greenbush wedding in 1962, and moved to Glendive, Montana, where her husband originated. He worked in a clothing store until the couple moved to Gillette, WY, and started their own western clothing store called “The Store” until his death in 1997.

Nola started the Gillette, WY, County Public Health in the court house with co-worker, Hannah Heath. As the community continued to grow, so did the staff of Public Health. The county built its own facility where she continued to work until they built an even bigger facility to accommodate the growth of the staff and programs as the city/county continued to grow. The agency went from a staff of Nola, a secretary and nursing aid, into a staff of 25 when she retired.

She was the Director of Campbell County Public Health for 42 years. She was the only one in her nursing class that work full time during the 50 years from their graduation. Upon her retirement, the Governor of WY honored her by declaring this the Nola Wallace day. She also went to her last State Public Health meeting and was awarded Wyoming Public Health Worker of the year.

After retirement, the County Commissioners appointed her to two three-year terms on the County Museum Board. She served as an officer of the State and Local Nurses Association, locally as an officer in P.E.O organization, Beta Sigma Phi, Women in Business, Exalted Ruler of the ELKS Lodge and Peace Lutheran church council and committees. She was one of 5 who organized Gillette Hospice.

She once had a supervisor tell her that since God didn’t grant them the ability to have children; “we were meant to take care of the community" which Don did in the business world and she did it in the Health Dept. Nola was very proud of being a God Mother to Connie (Bloomquist) Weber, Brian Bloomquist, and Daniel Moravek.

After her retirement she loved to travel to include trips to Luxembourg to visit her sister, Paris, southern France, Belgium, Italy, Rome, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and several trips on the Mississippi River Paddle Boat.

Nola will be buried next to her husband, Donald, in Glendive Montana. There will be a celebration of life at a later date. In lieu of flowers please donate to your favorite charity.