Obituary: Former FamilyMeans president Arba-Della Beck 'celebrated all the things that make people of different backgrounds unique'

Jun. 25—Arba-Della Beck's passion for people and animals started on her family's farm in Eureka, S.D.

"Even at a young age, she had a heart for God's creatures who were lost or hurting — a duck that needed to be cared for, a baby raccoon separated from his mom and for lost kittens," according to her obituary.

Beck, 68, the former president of FamilyMeans, died June 14 at her home in Stillwater, of complications related to metastatic breast cancer.

For almost 25 years, Beck led the Stillwater-based nonprofit organization that counsels individuals, couples and families. FamilyMeans serves almost 12,000 clients a year and has an annual budget of $4.6 million. It employs more than 61 people and has more than 100 volunteers.

Beck managed the organization "with incredible vision and the highest level of integrity," said Jim Kroening, who succeeded her as president and CEO. "She was a respected colleague, mentor and true friend to many people that she touched throughout her life. She will be truly missed."

During her tenure, Beck oversaw three major merger-acquisitions for FamilyMeans: Consumer Credit Counseling of Minnesota in 2000, Rochester Family Services Consumer Credit Counseling in 2004 and the Center for Grief & Loss in 2012.

"I'm very proud of the consistency of care that we have been able to provide to people," Beck told the Pioneer Press when she announced her retirement in 2020. "We have helped families cope with all kinds of difficulties. ... To be able to help people through hard times is pretty amazing."

Prior to joining FamilyMeans, Beck served as director of Family Service Inc. in Sioux Falls, S.D., for nine years and worked for Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, serving as director of the agency's refugee settlement program from 1974 to 1986.

"She saw and believed that everybody deserved the exact same opportunities and things from life and believed in helping give it to them," said Dustin Wahlstrom, her eldest son. "She celebrated all the things that make people of different backgrounds unique, but knew we shared the same fundamental needs, hopes and dreams. I think God just blessed her with the right personality and skill set. She was so smart and personable and just had an inborn kindness that you can't develop, you're just born with.

Beck's father, Albert, named her Arba-Della after a character from "Amos 'n' Andy," his favorite radio and TV show, Wahlstrom said. "She told me once that there was only one other Arba-Della in the world."

Growing up on the family farm, Beck learned at a young age to garden, feed cattle and pigs, pick rocks, haul hay bales and drive a tractor, he said.

In 1970, she graduated from Eureka High School, where she participated in music programs and played piano for graduations and various choir functions. She also played the organ at Hoffnungstal Lutheran Church in Eureka. Beck graduated from South Dakota State University in Brookings in 1974 with a degree in child development. While at SDSU, she met Mark Wahlstrom; they married in 1975 and had two sons. They divorced in 1983.

Beck continued her education at the University of Iowa, where in 1979 she earned a master's degree in social work. She later got a master's degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas and an executive education certificate from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

In 1985, she was a Bush Foundation fellow.

Two years later, she married Steve Wohlfeil and had a son, Andrew, and a daughter, Emily. They divorced in 1993.

In addition to Dustin Wahlstrom, she is survived by her sons Aaron Wahlstrom and Andrew Wohlfeil; her daughter, Emily Peterson, and three grandchildren.

Beck's funeral service will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, where Beck was a longtime member. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Friday at Bradshaw Funeral Home in Stillwater.

Capacity is limited, and attendees are asked to register online. The service will be live-streamed on Trinity's Facebook page.