Dallas/Fort Worth Finnish-American Society

10/16/2025

For those who cannot attend Gwen Welk Workman,s Celebration of Life on Saturday 10/18 in her place of rest in Longville, MN, there will be a live stream. Please see below for details. On behalf of the Workman family and the wonderful employees at the Wooden Spoon, many thanks to everyone for your kindness, thoughts and prayers during this time.

09/24/2025

A very important friend of the TexFinns has pasted. Gwen Welk Workman, the owner and founder of the Wooden Spoon, died Monday morning just after 5 AM. She was with her family when she left to be with her savior. The family just published information about her funeral service here in Plano and back in her home of Minnesota. Details in the shared posted.

Gwen was very happy to open up the Wooden Spoon for the TexFinn over 10 years ago when we needed a place to meet. She loved having us and other Nordic groups like the Sons of Norway at the store. She would have the store open for us in a Sunday so we could buy our favorites from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland.

All last week Gwen was busy getting things ready for the Wooden Spoon's 37 anniversary party this past Saturday. Something she looked forward to every year. Unfortunately, she would not be able to attend the party because she fell ill Friday morning.

I was looking forward to seeing Gwen on Sunday for the first TexFinn meeting after summer break. I wanted to see how she had been since she was having health issues over the past winter and spring. One of the Spoon's employees, Kay, came to open the store up for us to have our meeting. That is when I found out about Gwen. 🙁

Gwen was an important member and support of Nordic community in the DFW area. A wonderful and friendly business woman that cared about her customers and friend.

RIP Gwen. You will be missed dearly.

The Wooden Spoon is still open. Gwen's family will need time to see what the future of the Spoon looks like. Gwen already has the store ready for the holiday season for gifts for people to buy. I will make sure to keep you updated on the Spoon future when I get updates.

I will also keep you updated on the TexFinn meeting location if that is to change.

Jeremy Martin
TexFinn President

With sadness in our hearts and yet great JOY to have been blessed with such a wonderful woman to so many in our lives, funeral arrangements have been made for Gwen Welk Workman for the following dates:

10/6/2025 Preston Meadow Lutheran Church
Plano TX at 3 pm.
Open house to follow at the Wooden Spoon, Plano TX

10/18/2025 Salem Lutheran Church
Longville, MN (more details to come).
Obituary to follow.

09/21/2025

Sad news from the Wooden Spoon. Please keep Gwen and her family in your prayers. Her kids are all here in Plano with her right now. I will keep you updated as I here more. Gwen was an important part of the Nordic community in one DFW area.

09/17/2025

The September 2025 TexFinn meeting is this Sunday (September 20) at the Wooden Spoon in Plano from 3 to 5. More info in the link below.

05/18/2025

No TexFinn meeting today (May 18, 2025). More details and other updates in the meeting notice link found below.

03/16/2025

03/15/2025

Tomorrow's TexFinn meeting has been canceled. Nobody RSVP that they would be coming to the meeting. I did not wait to waist Gwen's or her staff's time opening the Wooden Spoon if nobody was going to show up for the meeting.

No meeting in April because of Easter. Next meeting will be in May. Stay tune for more details.

03/09/2025

UPDATE Saturday, March 15, 2025 - The meeting has been canceled. Nobody has RSVP for the meeting. The next meeting will be in May. No meeting in April because of Easter.

The next TexFinn meeting will be this Sunday, March 16 at the Wooden Spoon in Plano. Meeting details are in the link below.

If you plan to come to the meeting, please RSVP with an email to [email protected].

02/20/2025

It is national Sauna Week. This video from the BBC show what the sauna is all about in Finland.

Heta-Jemina Pudas is the owner of the only public bathhouse in Lapland where people ice-plunge straight in the Baltic Sea, not in a lake or a pool.Pudas reve...

02/15/2025

Tomorrow's TexFinn meeting has been cancelled. The Wooden Spoon is not available for the meeting. I also have a family thing I need to attend to at the same time.

The next meeting will be on Sunday, March 16, 2024.

12/18/2024

Good news this morning from the Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C.

Finland will open a Consulate General in Houston, Texas in 2025!

Opening the new mission is a result of a longtime political and trade partnership between the Lone Star State and the world’s happiest country.

The new Consulate General will continue to strengthen the relations between Finland and Texas by supporting Finnish companies entering the market in South-West U.S. and U.S. companies interested in Finland.

The Consulate General in Houston will add to Finland’s network of missions in the U.S., which include the Embassy in Washington D.C., Consulate General of Finland in New York, and Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles.

Read more: https://um.fi/current-affairs/-/asset_publisher/gc654PySnjTX/content/suomi-valmistelee-paakonsulaatin-avaamista-houstoniin

12/14/2024

The next TexFinn meeting is tomorrow at the Wooden Spoon in Plano from 3PM to 5PM. We will be taking about Christmas in Finland. Details for the meeting are in the link below.