Melrose A. “Mel” Stodden, 79, of East Dubuque, IL passed away on April 22, 2020 in Texas.

Private mass of Christian Burial will be at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church with Rev. Greg Bahl officiating. Entombment will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery. Because of the COVID-19 restrictions the funeral will be live streamed on Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory’s Facebook page. Please LIKE the funeral home Facebook page to view the funeral. A celebration of her life will be at a later date. Online condolences may be left at www.leonardfuneralhome.com

Mel was born on April 16, 1941 in Galena, IL the daughter of Fred and Rose (Hudson) Schuller. She married Francis Ahlers and worked at AY McDonald Company for 26 years.

She enjoyed spending winters in Texas and love her grandchildren and her dogs.

Mel is survived by her husband Francis “Jack” Ahlers, of East Dubuque, IL; eight children, Steve (Deb) Stodden, Geneseo, IL, Dave (Christina) Stodden, of Phoenix, AZ, Karl (Angie) Stodden, of Galena, IL, Karla Stodden, of Hazel Green, WI, Mike (Stephanie) Stodden of Wisconsin Rapids, WI, Deb (Todd) Allison, Cape Coral, FL, Kathy (Bill) Amweg, Huntsville, OH, and Pam (Josh) Knight, of Newhall, Iowa. Twenty-eight grandchildren, ten great grandchildren; two sisters Carol Kieffer of Scales Mound, IL, and Laura Lindsay of Shreveport, LA.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her son Terry; siblings, Elma Greene, Betty Darnell, Francis Schuller, Mary Troust, Marge Reifsteik, and Harold Schuller.