Regina Welsch Mueller, 97, died April 22, 2026 at Vista Prairie at Brentwood Memory Care in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Born Regina May Welsch to Goldie Jacobson Welsch and Alfred J. Welsch, November 28, 1928, in Jesup, Iowa, Regina spent her childhood and completed all of her K-12 schooling in Jesup. She excelled at math and enjoyed gymnastics until a knee injury required experimental surgery. This did not inhibit her adventurous spirit. Regina spent some free time at her father’s barber shop and entire summers with her beloved grandmother, Christy Jacobson, in Kansas City. Regina studied Parish Work at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA, where she was also involved in drama, playing Antigone. It was at Wartburg where she met Philip K. Mueller, a pre-seminary student and fellow drama buff. Graduating in 1952, Regina worked as a Parish Worker in a church in Muscatine, IA while Philip Mueller was at Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, IA. They were married August 27, 1954 and had their first child of six in June, 1955. Almost immediately, the intrepid young mother packed up her newborn and moved to Erbil, Iraq, where she and Philip began mission work with the Kurdish people under the auspices of the Lutheran Orient Mission Society (now Lutheran Mideast Development). During this time, Regina had two more children born in Baghdad. The family lost nearly everything when they were forced to flee Iraq after a military coup toppled the government and all foreigners were required to leave within days. While waiting in Beirut, for ship passage to the US, Lebanon’s civil war went on around them. From 1959 – 1964, safely back in the states, Regina was involved in church women’s groups and Sunday school while having three more children, in Marshfield, WI. Even here, Regina had a dauntless spirit when summer vacations involved spending a month in a cabin lacking electricity and a bathroom with six small children. It was worth the effort, though, as the setting was beautiful – Hemlock Lake, Rice Lake, WI. Feeling called to mission work again, Philip and Regina carried six kids and their few worldly goods to Dessie, Ethiopia. While her husband pastored the Mekane Yesus church and delivered literacy materials to remote areas, Regina took up development work with local women, teaching sewing and knitting to enable them to have a craft with which to supplement household income, along with basic hygiene and well baby practices to lower infant mortality. Throughout these early years, Regina proved to be very creative with few resources, hand-making everything from bread to birthday cards, children’s clothes and toys, to holiday decorations. She could take items others might discard and fashion them into something useful. In 1969, with their term completed and amid political unrest, Regina and family returned to the US to Cherry, MN where she took on many of the duties except preaching, of Bethel and Emmanuel Lutheran churches, in order to support her husband’s nursing degree schooling. When they received a call to a four-point parish (Fish Creek, Portland, Brush Creek and North Coon Prairie) in Cashton, WI (1972 – 1978), Regina became an elementary school paraprofessional who encouraged and kept the peace among her charges with humor, high standards, and compassion. She processed, canned or froze vast quantities of vegetables from a huge garden, and at Christmas time hosted epic open house gatherings for parishioners featuring a wide variety of baked goods, with help from her kids. Once again, mission service called, so Regina and Philip, with their three youngest, spent 9 months in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France in L’Accueil Fraternel language school in preparation for nine years in Senegal, first in St. Louis, and later in Linguere, where they teamed up to offer basic health care to unserved villages on the edge of the Sahel Desert until 1988. While not a natural linguist, Regina was ever willing and enthusiastic in her efforts to communicate, completely unafraid to use whatever means necessary. In the end, her sincere warmth, obvious concern, and generosity of spirit always came through to others. No matter where the family was living, Regina was a curious cook, adapting to local ethnic dishes and producing delicious meals for everyone. During this time they were only able to get together with the entire family every few years. Everyone missed each other, but they were dedicated to their ministry. Back in the US for good in 1989, Regina and Philip were at Barronett Lutheran (Barronett, WI) and Grace Lutheran (Brill, WI) for a year, then received a call to Bethlehem and St. John churches, Pella WI, where they served for ten years and Regina was an active partner in ministry. Retired in 1999, Regina and Philip made Rice Lake, WI their home and became active members of Bethany Lutheran. Regina was a faithful women’s circle participant and a dedicated Bible study contributor. Despite arthritis, she knitted sweaters, afghans and prayer shawls for years, even teaching some of the younger generation the skill. Regina had a lively sense of humor, an infectious laugh, and a knack for recognizing the hilarious bits of everyday life. She lit up when she had visitors, and tried to feed them whatever she had. In recent years Regina became an avid word search enthusiast and could be found with a bag of M & M’s, a pen and a word search book with her at all times. She was a person dedicated to service, had an indomitable spirit, and a huge heart. Regina tried to make the world a better place. She will be missed. Regina was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 64 years, the Reverend Philip Kearns Mueller. She is survived by her 6 children, Michal Mueller (Gordon FitzGerald) of Clinton, Massachusetts, Marc (Toni) Mueller of Puyallup, Washington, David (Beth) Mueller of Bayugan City, Philippines, Deborah Mueller of Oshkosh, WI, Keren (Elton) Jorde of Rice Lake, WI and Nathan Mueller of Marvin, South Dakota; 9 grandchildren, Piper, Emily-Rose, Jonathan, Michal, James, Jesska, Rachel, Elisabeth and Andrew; 4 great grandchildren, Benjamin, Gabriel, Bjorn and Asher.
All obituary information has been taken from the funeral home, newspaper or other online resource.
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