Arliss Vollbrecht

Arliss Vollbrecht, 96, of Morgan, died Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at Gil-Mor Manor Nursing Home in Morgan. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, May 8, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Morgan with a luncheon to follow. A visitation will be held one hour prior to Mass from 10a.m. until 11a.m. Burial will be held at a later date at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Funeral arrangements are with Nelson-Hillestad Funeral and Cremation Services of Morgan. Donations to We Care in lieu of flowers are preferred. E-mail condolences may be sent via www.nelson-hillestad.com.

Arliss Vollbrecht was born on January 17, 1930, the first child of John and Alice (Roers) Korkowski of Brandon, Minnesota. She is survived by five of her children, Michael (Lis), Kimberlee, Joseph (Pat), Thomas (Mara) and Robert (Cori); fourteen grandchildren-Thane, Olivia and Mallory (Michael); Jake and Charles (Kimberlee); Art, Sam and Wil (Joseph); Colleen and Cara (Thomas); and Rebecca, Rachel, Alex and Jimmy (Robert); and (currently) five great grandchildren-Yohun, Makynli, Aspyn, Nora, and Lucy. She was predeceased by her parents, her siblings Jack Korkowski and Joan Korkowski, her husband William Vollbrecht, her son William Vollbrecht, Jr., and her grandson Nicholas Vollbrecht.

Hers was a life well lived, well-ended, and so very full.

Arliss was the co-valedictorian of her high school class in Brandon, Minnesota and worked in Minneapolis before meeting and marrying William, Sr. They eventually settled permanently in Morgan in 1964 where he established a law practice.

She was a woman of inexhaustible energy and accomplishment. In addition to being a full-time mother, she was a legal secretary, jointly ran an income tax return preparation service for farms and individuals, served as executor/personal representative for the estates of many area residents, and had a bookkeeping service. She was a Cub Scout den mother, founded the (sadly) short-lived Busy Bees for girls not eligible for Cub Scouts (teaching arts and crafts, needlepoint, etc.), taught bridge classes in Morgan and area towns, was an active DFL member, co-chaired the town's centennial celebration, and served in countless formal and informal roles for the town, school, and St. Michael's Catholic Church. She helped conceive, design and get built Morgan's assisted living facility where she lived for her final six years, and did the same for Morgan's medical clinic.

She was a talented writer, as shown by her annual Christmas letters and occasional articles in the Morgan Messenger. She was a founding and sustaining member of the "Happy Hoofers" walking club which more recently evolved into the "Happy Hoofers" sit around and drink coffee club. She was a perpetually-proud and ever-engaged grandmother and great grandmother.

She was a woman of great empathy, somehow always able to find additional hours on top of her already-full schedule to help those in need.

She was also a woman of great and mischievous humor. Her wit and ability to find joy and laughter in almost any situation well-served her and everyone with whom she came into contact. And it never left her. She was joking with family and staff a couple of hours before she passed peacefully from this world. She was happy, comfortable, lucid, engaged, and mostly pain-free until her literal final minutes. She got quality time with five of her children, and-who knows?-maybe she and Bill Jr. are catching up right now.

Arliss also was-and remains-a model for us all as we age. Rather than becoming more and more set in her ways, she chose to become even more open, more receptive, and more tolerant, which was wonderful to see and (hopefully) to learn from. A Mother's work is never done.

Blessed be her memory.