Obituary for VeNila R. Bublitz

Nila was born August 31, 1954, in Austin, MN, and was the fifth of seven children born to John and Harriet (Jorgenson) Greeley. She grew up in Grand Meadow, MN, and attended Grand Meadow and then Lyle and Austin schools. On April 8, 1972, Nila went on a blind date and met the love of her life, Darrel Bublitz. They married on October 28, 1972, and were blessed with three children. Their home was in the Austin area until later moving to Spring Grove. Nila held various production jobs over the years and then found great pleasure and fulfillment doing housekeeping.

Nila’s faith was a constant source of strength. She was the most caring and selfless person with a strong desire to help her family and friends. She considered herself everyone’s mom and would do her best to make sure all who knew her could come to her just as they were, doing what she could to make them feel at ease. To Nila, family was everything and being with her children and grandchildren brought her the greatest joy in life. She cherished her six siblings and their time spent together, whether they were agate hunting, or making faces and finishing each other’s sentences on video calls or laughing with each other in person at something no one else but her siblings would ever understand since “It’s a Greeley Thing!” Nila embraced the smells and sounds of nature, a gentle rain, and a good thunderstorm. She loved spending time in the woods and found solace on quiet river walks, dipping her toes in creeks and streams, and simply listening to water trickling over the stones.

Nila is survived by her husband of 52 years, Darrel, and their three children, Shane (Connie) Bublitz, Molly Blom, and Laura Tate; grandchildren, Riahna, Seveyah, Miah, Abbie, Matthew, Kylie (William), and Kody; great-grandchildren, Jazzymen, Jenna, Spencer, and Charli; siblings, Larry (Donna) Greeley, Rita Wyss, Cindy Greeley, Cathy Blahnik, Callie (Merlin) Anderson, and Becky Elmore; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Dale and Kathy Bublitz, and Harvey and Diane Hemann; many nieces, nephews, family, friends and her furry grand-doggie, Lars, all whom she greatly loved.

She was preceded in death by her parents, father-in-law and mother in-law, Elmer and Gloria Siewert, sister-in-law and brothers-in-law, Ron and Dixie Timmerman, and David Bublitz; and son-in-law, Bill Blom.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Caledonia. Father Andrew Vogel will officiate. A visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service, with a luncheon to follow, all at St. Mary’s. Per Nila’s wishes, a private burial will follow.

Condolences may be sent to the Nila Bublitz Family, Fredrickson Funeral Homes, 518 W. Main St., Caledonia, MN 55921. Online condolences and expressions of sympathy may be offered on this site.