Arletta Marie Woods

Arletta Marie (Olson) Woods, age 93, of Glenville, Minnesota, lived a long and beautiful life and passed away peacefully on January 27, 2026, surrounded by family at Rochester Health Services in Rochester, Minnesota.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at the First Lutheran Church in Glenville, MN. A visitation will be held for an hour prior to the service at the church. Pastor Eileen Woyen will be officiating. Interment will be held at Greenwood Cemetery in Glenville at a later date.

Arletta was born on October 5, 1932, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, to Elmer and Martha (Jamison) Olson. She was the first of five children and graduated from Albert Lea High School. She later married Morris Woods, beginning a life centered on family, creativity, and community.

She was the proud mother of five children, a beloved grandmother to fourteen grandchildren, and a cherished great-grandmother to twenty-three great-grandchildren. Because she lived near the park, family and neighbors affectionately called her “Grandma by the Park.”

Arletta had a gift for sewing and spent countless hours creating beautiful handmade quilts that will be treasured for generations. Her skills also extended to making uniforms for local banks and restaurants. She made dresses for weddings, including bridesmaids and flower girls. She shared her work through craft shows and in her later years she crocheted beautiful prayer shawls.

She enjoyed watching car races, tending her garden, admiring flowers, watching birds, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and spending time with her family.

Arletta is survived by her children: Mike (Renee), Steve, Shelley Gulbrandson and Jeff (Tami), 14 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews.

Arletta was preceded in death by her parents Elmer and Martha Olson, her husband Morris, daughter Carla Stoa, great granddaughter Vanessa Whalen, sons-in-law Gary Gulbrandson and Roger Stoa, brothers Roger (Corrine) Olson, Larry (Karen) Olson, Edna (John) Herfendal and Kairen (Lester) Cummings.

Arletta will be remembered with love by her family and all who knew her.