Dr. Wendell Wall

Dr. Wendell H. Wall, formerly of Wahpeton, North Dakota, passed away on June 3, 2019, in Hutchinson, Minnesota.  He was one of four doctors, E.R. Wasemiller, Melvin Beltz, and Glenn Wiltse, who comprised the original Wahpeton Clinic, founded in 1950.  He and his partners, all graduates of the College of Medical Evangelists in southern California, now known as Loma Linda University, worked together for over 40 years.   Wendell is the last of these gentlemen to pass, with all four doctors living well into their nineties.  Born on January 20, 1922, in Exira, Iowa, Wendell was 97 at the time of his death.

As a young man, Wendell served in the United States Army for four years, serving as a dental technician during World War II.  He was standing, literally with suitcase in hand, ready to deploy to the Pacific front when radios announced: “The war is over.”

After the war, Wendell completed prerequisites for medical school at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Here he met and later married Marian Larson, from Minneapolis.  Together they moved to Loma Linda, California, where he attended the College of Medical Evangelists, graduating in 1953.  His internship was completed in Washington, DC, before the family moved to Wahpeton.

In the 1970s, Wendell was active as a city planner, serving as president of the Wahpeton Downtown Development Corporation.  As a member of the Chamber of Commerce beautification committee, he worked with the Yard of the Week program as well as the annual Christmas Home Lighting contest.

Wendell was an architect on the side, designing many homes and churches, including the Wahpeton Seventh-day Adventist Church.  He was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, serving both as a leader and supportive member for approximately 65 years, from the time he moved to Wahpeton until his death.

Wendell was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Marian, parents, Frank and Agnes Wall, a brother, Merrill Wall, a sister, Verlene Asher, and is survived by a sister Verdell Roark, three children, twelve grandchildren, and sixteen great-grandchildren.  He was living with his family in Hutchinson, Minnesota, at the time of his death.

A memorial service will be held to celebrate his life on July 5, 2019, at 12:00 PM in the Wahpeton Seventh-day Adventist Church, and he will be interred at Fairview Cemetery in Wahpeton.  A reception will follow at the Hughes Shelter in Chahinkapa Park.

Dr. Wendell Wall will be remembered for his generous love of people and for his enthusiastic embrace of life.