Marilyn Ann Nelson

Marilyn A. Nelson, 82 of Boelus, passed away on Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at Heritage at Sagewood in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, October 15, 2021 at Faith Lutheran Church in Nysted.  Pastor Bob Carlson will be officiating.  Burial will be in the Loup Fork Cemetery near Boelus, Nebraska.

Visitation will be held from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M. Thursday at Jacobsen-Greenway-Dietz Funeral Home in St. Paul.

Memorials are suggested to the Central Nebraska Walk of Hope (Huntington’s Disease), Comfort Dog Ministries of Christ Lutheran Church in Cairo & Peace Lutheran Church in Grand Island, or the Nebraska Chapter of Alzheimer’s Association.

Marilyn A. Nelson was born to Homer & Florence (Ogden) Wheeler, a New Year’s baby born on January 1, 1939 in Grand Island, Nebraska.  Her grandson Adam shared her birthdate.  Marilyn attended grade school in country schools near Shelton and Dannebrog.  She attended high school in Dannebrog and graduated from Cairo High School in 1956.  Marilyn married Jim Nelson on September 1, 1957, in the Dry Creek Lutheran Church near Boelus. They farmed and raised their children on the Nelson home place.

Marilyn volunteered many years at St. Francis Hospital.  She organized and coordinated the Centura Blood Drive and was a lifelong blood donor.  She loved researching genealogy and entered many local cemeteries online in the Tombstone Cemetery Registry.  She had a passion for history and genealogy, and gladly shared her findings with people all over the country. She was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Nysted and was instrumental in getting the church registered with National Historic Landmarks in Nebraska.

Survivors include her husband Jim of 64 years of Cairo; son, Mike (Vicki) Nelson of Boelus; daughters, Linda (Jerry) Woitaszewski and Laurie (Dan) Harders of Wood River; Patty (Paul) Pedroza of Hastings; 15 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and sister, Veda Bruner of Shelton.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Glen & Floyd; sister, Reva Berens; infant sister; son-in-law, Ken Gallagher; and brother-in-law, Dick Bruner.