NELSON, LaDonna J. (1940-2020)

NELSON

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 4/8/2026 at 10:31:51

LaDonna Jean (Bergman) Nelson
December 18, 1940 - May 22, 2020

LaDonna Jean (Bergman) Nelson, age 79, of Arthur, Iowa, passed away on Friday, May 22, 2020, at Odebolt Specialty Care of Odebolt, Iowa. A Private Family Graveside Service will be held in the Hayes Township Cemetery of Arthur, Iowa. The Christensen - Van Houten Funeral Home of Ida Grove, Iowa, is in charge of the funeral arrangements.
LaDonna (Bergman) Nelson, age 79, of Arthur, IA, passed away May 22, 2020 of natural causes. LaDonna Jean Bergman was born on December 18, 1940 to Paul Donald and Alma Grace (Devine) Bergman of Arthur, IA. She graduated from Odebolt-Arthur School in 1958. She attended Bethel College in St. Paul, MN and then graduated in 1962 from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She went on to Northwestern University in Illinois to get her Masters. She then attended Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, OR. On June 8, 1963 LaDonna married Sterling Bawn Nelson at the Arthur Baptist Church in rural Arthur, IA. They lived most of their married life in Illinois, moving to Des Moines, IA in 1989. Sterling passed away in 2005 from a brain tumor. LaDonna moved in 2018 from Valley View Village in Des Moines, IA to Arthur to live with her brother Barry and family. LaDonna taught Kindergarten in Lombard, IL for many years. She loved to tell stories about her Kindergarten experiences! She retired when she was 40 years old, but not really because, she continued to help her husband, who was a Junior High Math Teacher, by correcting his papers and driving him since he had severe sight issues. One of her favorite sayings whenever she met a child was “Jesus loves you and so do I” and singing to children “1, 2, 3 Jesus Loves Me, 1, 2 Jesus Loves You” LaDonna and Sterling were involved in music groups both singing and playing the flute and along with her husband playing the coronet. They performed in churches and nursing homes all around. LaDonna was a published poet, one of everyone’s favorite poem of hers is:

SKIN By: LaDonna Nelson
Have you ever thanked God for your skin,
That marvelous stuff He’s wrapped you in?
As far as wrappings go,
It is surely one of a kind.
In fact,
It’s the best you can find.
If you smudge it,
You can wash it.
If you get it wet,
It will not shrink.
Even when soaked for a very long time,
It quickly dries
And still looks exquisitely fine.
If you tear it,
It will mend.
If the package expands,
The wrapping will s-t-r-e-t-c-h.
It contains liquids and solids equally well,
And its temperature control
Keeps things from getting stale.
It truly is of incredible design,
This skin of yours, this skin of mine.
You can bend it, and
fold it, and even
staple it a time or two.
The recovery is a remarkable thing to view.
As for longevity, it holds records too,
Far more than most wrappings do.
Have you ever thanked God for your skin,
That marvelous stuff He’s wrapped you in?
Why not stop and thank Him now?
For starters, you might even just say, “WOW!”

LaDonna is survived by siblings, brother, Ronald Bergman (Eve) of San Diego, CA; brother, Barry Bergman (Susan) of Arthur, IA; sister, Karen Ellcey (Chuck) of Salom Springs, AR; brother-in-law, Dan Thompson of Rowlett, TX; sister-in-law, Sylvia Christiansen (Chris) of Des Moines, IA; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Sterling; her parents, Don and Alma Bergman; sister, Lori Thompson and Sterling’s parents, Everett and Melba Nelson. Source - Christensen-VanHouten Funeral Services, 321 2nd St., Ida Grove, Iowa 51445