By Sarah Light, staff writer

Friends, family and former students of Jodi Wangsness gathered Thursday morning at St. Theodore Catholic Church to pay their final respects to the much-loved woman from Albert Lea.

Wangsness died Monday at her parent&8217;s home after battling ovarian cancer. She was 41. She was diagnosed on April 28, 2004.

Wangsness graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1984 and had become well-known for her 20 years at The Children&8217;s Center, the principal child-care facility in Albert Lea. Most recently, she opened up the Pizza Ranch Restaurant with her husband, Barry, in Northbridge Mall.

And even throughout her battle with cancer, she was a woman who continued to have a positive attitude and to love others, Deacon Mike Ellis said during the funeral service.

During her life, Wangsness taught three major lessons: First, the importance of accepting people for who they are; second, the idea that everyone is good; and third, the importance of love, Ellis said.

She treasured her friends and family, loved the faith community and loved God for the gifts he gave her, Ellis noted. She loved the adventures that life provided.

In a Tribune article printed in March, Wangsness explained that her battle with cancer has helped bring her family closer together, and for that reason alone, &8220;I&8217;d do it all over again,&8221; she said.

Her family gave her the strength to move forward, and the children she interacted with during her job as head teacher at The Children&8217;s Center saved her through her cancer treatments, she said.

&8220;The kids got me through it with their smiles,&8221; Wangsness said. &8220;They were so accepting. They didn&8217;t care if I had weird hair or no hair. I don&8217;t think they know how much they meant to me.&8221;

And though it was difficult, she considered herself blessed to have cancer, she said, so that her mother, Marilyn Remakel, wouldn&8217;t have to go through the battles of cancer on her own.

Wangsness&8217; positive effect on others was evident Thursday as the church sanctuary was filled almost to capacity, with people even sitting in the balcony.

In addition to her family and work responsibilities, Wangsness was a member of St. Theodore Catholic Church, the Albert Lea Noon Kiwanis, the Sunset Saddle Club and the Cancer Support Group.

She enjoyed shopping, eating, racing, golf and horses, along with watching the fountains on Fountain Lake.

&8220;I know that Jodi will be the best-dressed woman in heaven,&8221; her niece Nikki Olsen said at the service.