Pauline Sellner
Pauline Sellner, age 92 of Sleepy Eye passed away on Saturday, March 1, 2025 at Sleepy Eye Rehabilitation Center. A celebration of life gathering will be held 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at the chapel in the SE Rehabilitation Center located at 1105 3rd Ave SW, Sleepy Eye. A private burial will be held at a later date. Stephens Funeral Service – Redwood Valley Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Pauline Margaret Wild was born in Springfield to Edward and Hilda Wild on November 27, 1932. She graduated from Sleepy Eye High School in 1950 and went into nursing training where she became a Licensed Practical Nurse. After working at various hospitals, Pauline took a break from working away from home to raise her family. Living on a farm, however, she still found numerous ways to contribute financially to her family. She had a huge garden and would sell various fruits and vegetables locally. Her break from the workforce did not last long. She worked at Del Monte Corporation for years, as well as being the nursing director at Southdale Nursing Home currently Sleepy Eye Rehabilitation Center.
Deciding to do more with her life, Pauline went back to university to pursue her college degree. Crazy enough, she attended Mankato University with her daughter Susan and both graduated the same year. Pauline’s degree was in Women’s Studies and Gerontology. She furthered her education and went on to receive her Master’s. She was an expert in many areas. She worked as an advocate for abused women in New Ulm and Mankato and wrote grants for Cada House (Committee Against Domestic Abuse). She managed a homeless shelter in Fargo. She worked as an In-home Intensive Family Therapist in Montevideo. Before she retired, she opened an antique shop in Sleepy Eye – a life-long dream of hers. She continued operating her business for many years before retiring completely because of a decline in her eyesight.
Even though she was legally blind, she remained in her home until she was just shy of her 91st birthday. She was a truly knowledgeable individual and loved to work crossword puzzles. She knew words that most people have never heard of. She enjoyed refinishing furniture and loved growing vegetables in her back yard and sharing her gardening knowledge with the neighbor girls. She will be missed by her family.
Pauline is survived by her children Eric (Nina) of Owatonna, Paul (Christine) of Fremont, WI, and Susan Hinderman (Alan ‘Whitey’) of Fairfax, daughter-in-law Marsha Sellner of Sleepy Eye and granddaughter Sarah Hinderman (special friend Nils) of St Paul. She is preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Joseph and William Wild and her sisters Janet Davis and Mary Schroeder and her son, Shawn.
