Bernice L. (Ellingston) NELSON

NELSON, ELLINGSTON, ULSTAD, MICHAELSON, CHRISTENSEN, BAILEY, OBRECHT, BITTLE, HOPKEY

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 1/7/2007 at 14:22:49

June 8, 2004

Bernice L. Nelson, 81, died on Tuesday, June 1, 2004. Funeral services were held on Friday, June 4, at the St. Olaf Lutheran Church near Belmond, Rev. Lowell Halvorson officiating with interment in the Belmond Cemetery. Music was provided by organist, Carol Severson and soloist, Dustin Nelson. Ushers were Cliff Olson and Alfred Johnson. Casket bearers were Dave Nelson, Neal Nelson, Steve Wagner, Dennis Nelson, Jim Nelson and Craig Wagner.

Bernice, the daughter of Elling and Nettie (Ulstad) Ellingston, was born on April 18, 1923, on her parents farm west of Belmond, the fourth of seven children. She was baptized in 1923 and confirmed in 1938 at the St. Olaf Lutheran Church. She graduated from the Belmond High School and Mason City Junior College. Bernice completed her BS degree at Drake University. She taught for 32 years at the fifth/sixth grade levels in rural schools and at Kanawha and Clarion. Most of her teaching was in the area of Spanish and Social Studies. She was also a life long homemaker. Bernice married Robert V. Nelson on April 25, 1942 at the Lutheran Parsonage in Belmond. Bernice had been actively involved in serving her churches, Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond where she taught Sunday School and Bible School and served on the Board of Education, and later at St. Olaf where she was active in Bible study groups. Bernice was very much a family person who received great joy from the accomplishments of her family. She raised a garden and flowers, did sewing, was an avid reader, and enjoyed the companionship of her dogs.

She was preceded in death by her parents; infant son, Mark Alan; sisters, Maxine Michaelson and Virgil Bailey; nephew, Charles Christensen; and niece, Debbie (Ellingston) Obrecht. Survivors include her husband of Belmond; son, Robert (Charlene) Nelson of Belmond; granddaughter, Marietta (Brad) Bittle and their children, Ian Bradford, Maeve Catherine and Caroline Joy of Monterey, California; grandson, Matthew (Christina) Nelson and their children, Aaron Robert, Marcus Michael and Abigail Lorraine of Belmond; brother-in-law, Keith Bailey of Tacoma, Washington; sisters, Eunice (Lloyd) Christensen and Avis Hopkey of Belmond; and brothers, Leo (Opal) Ellingston and Ray (Rebecca) Ellingston of Belmond.

©Belmond Independent 2004