Louise Maupin

Louise Maupin, age 93, of Willmar, died Sunday afternoon, April 22, at Brookdale Care Center in Willmar.


A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, May 11, at the United Methodist Church in Excelsior. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.

A celebration of her life will be held at 1:30 PM Friday, May 11, 2018 at Excelsior UMC. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. The interment will be 2 PM Thursday, July 26 at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial s are preferred to the following organizations -
Excelsior: Excelsior UMC, MN Landscape Arboretum
Freeport, IL: Embury UMC, Amity Society, Krape Park
Willmar: Rice Hospice, Bethesda Day Break, Vinje Lutheran Church

Louise was born in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, on November 16, 1924 to Claude Liles and Annie Mariah (Williams) Taylor. She was baptized and confirmed at Liberty Methodist Church in rural Beaver Dam, Kentucky. After her mother and baby sister died in 1932, she and her father moved into the Taylor grandparent's home and were supported by a loving village of aunts, uncles and cousins. She and her cousin LB rode a horse to Excelsior Elementary School. In 1942 she graduated from Beaver Dam High School with four of her cousins. After attending business school, she and her cousin Rachel lived and worked together at Fort Knox and Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky in the office pool. She drove jeep delivering mail and dignitaries around the base. At one of the many dances held on the base she met Lt. Joseph Maupin. On November 11, 1945 they were married on the base with flowers and gifts from German Prisoners of war. They moved to Cincinnati, OH where Joe was stationed as a meteorologist. After his service, they moved to University of Kentucky (Lexington) for Joe to finish his education. Louise was an expert money manager and Joe an expert student. Following graduation, Joe's work with Bell Labs took them to Baltimore, MD and East Orange, NJ. In 1955, they moved to Excelsior, MN for a job with Honeywell. Freeport, IL was the next transfer in 1969. In 2014, she returned to MN to "visit".

Louise's father told her "bloom where you're planted" and she truly did wherever she went. Joe often bragged she was the "best thing to come out of Kentucky", he was absolutely right! Loving flowers, she helped start the MN Landscape Arboretum. In Freeport, she worked for many years at Fawn's Niche bringing her warmth to every sale. She lead a rich life filled with stories, recipes, cooking, bridge club, church activities, scout leadership, delivering meals, charitable causes and countless acts of kindness wherever she lived. She loved traveling with Joe and made trips to Europe, China, Mexico, and all over the US. After Joe earned his pilot's license, she joined him as map reader and navigator. They worked together to restore the Maupin farm in Kentucky. Everyone who met Louise loved her kind, caring nature and the gracious way she treated all people. She was dearly loved and will be missed by all who have known her.

Louise is survived by her children Suzanne Nelsen, Harold (Joan), Stephen (Nancy), and Ken (Svetlana), Grandchildren: Christopher, Eric, Amanda, Jennifer, Tim, Annabella, Angelina, Ashley, Jay, Robert, and Matthew; Great-grandchildren: Olivia, Isaac, Tobias, Leo, Leif, Astrid, Elouise, Orly, and Matthew; brothers: Claude (Jan) and Shelby (Judy) Taylor and many beloved relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her mother Annie, father Claude, step-mother Annabel (2015), husband Joseph (2011), and son-in-law Lee (2002) and several beloved cousins.

Louise's family would like to thank the staff of Brookdale Senior Living Center and Rice Hospice for their loving care of Louise. The entire Willmar community embraced Louise as once again she "bloomed where she was planted".

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