Una Marie Mueller

Born Una Marie Bellon on March 12th 1930 in Bay City, MI to Albert and Alvia (L’Herault) Bellon, she grew up on a farm in Pine River, MI during the Great Depression. She graduated from Bay City Central High School in 1947, where she was a Majorette. Una eloped with Robert Mueller on May 24th 1947 due to religious differences between the families, he died of cancer in 1993. Despite these differences, the families reconciled and they had two children who loved their grandparents. Una is survived by her two children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Her daughter Patricia Mueller (of Ann Arbor, MI) and granddaughter Amelia C. Mueller-Williams (Russell Tessier) (of Los Angeles, CA), and her son Gary Mueller, his wife Susie (Drzewicki) (of Linwood, MI), and grandchildren Scott Mueller and great-granddaughter Aria (of Bay City, MI), April (Dan) Murphy and great-grandson Ethan (of Auburn, MI), and Alyssa Jaskiewicz (of Flint, MI). She also leaves behind two sisters, Lois Olson (of Tucson, AZ) and Suzanne Tyo (of Bay City, MI). She was preceded in death by their beloved sister Pauline LaClair and two brothers, Raymond and Robert Bellon. She also has many cherished nieces, nephews, and friends.

She worked extremely fast and tirelessly all of her life. As a young family, Una and Robert Mueller owned a restaurant in Linwood, MI where she was the cook, donut maker, dishwasher and waitress. While running the restaurant, the family lived next door, eventually moving to another home in Linwood where her son and daughter-in-law live today. Restaurant life was exceptionally difficult for Una, so she took a job as a bookkeeper at the Linwood Lumber Yard. She later went on to work for 20 years as Executive Secretary to the Vice President of the Century Telephone Company in Pinconning, MI.

In the 1970s she and her husband built their own home on a golf course in Pinconning, MI, where she raised countless decorative plants and had a huge vegetable garden and many fruit trees, all of which she tended, harvested, and preserved herself. Her home in Pinconning served as a family gathering place, many have unique memories of her home characterized by bright orange and brown decor and a never-ending supply of beautiful crocheted doilies and blankets, snowflakes, table cloths, etc. which she made thousands of in her lifetime. She grew her own grapes and will forever be known for the wine that she made, often with the help of her son Gary, and relished consuming at 4:30 pm happy hours.

After her retirement in 1994, she and her sister Pauline lived together and shared homes between Pinconning, MI, and Tucson, AZ. Together they led a full and fearless life of adventure and fun. In Tucson, Una met Dwayne Carlson (of Tucson, AZ and River Falls, WI) with whom she spent the last seventeen years of her life. Together and alongside Pauline and her companion, Gene, they embarked upon escapades around the world, and on their yearly drives from the Midwest to Tucson, AZ. She will always be remembered for her independence, vigorous spirit and physical energy. Throughout her life and into her 80th year, she was known for standing on her head, challenging people to foot races, making silly faces, driving her tractor, cutting down trees (one year, her children gifted her an electric chainsaw for Christmas), and always card games, a family tradition.

While canning applesauce in 2010 she suffered a severe stroke, from which she never fully recovered. With Dwayne’s help, she was able to continue leading a fulfilling life, splitting her time between Tucson, AZ, River Falls, WI, and Ann Arbor, MI. Even after her stroke, she maintained her characteristic feistiness and sense of humor, becoming known for a specific eyeroll. A well-attended memorial service was held in her honor at her daughter’s home in Ann Arbor on April 14th 2019 where family and friends gathered to view pictures of her from across her lifetime and share the impact Una had on their lives; her memory will remain a constant source of joy for all those who knew her. She will be interred in the plot she selected years ago with her husband at Floral Gardens in Bay City, MI.

In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation to: SouthernCare Hospice Services 1965 Boardman Road Jackson, MI. 49202