Connie Nelson's Obituary
Connie Alvilde Nelson
1932 - 2018
Connie Nelson was born on February 7, 1932 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to her parents, Knut and Helen Knutson. Soon thereafter she was baptized at Bethany Lutheran Church, a church where she would grow up and be married.
Connie graduated from Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis in 1950. She then attended Fairview Nursing School and graduated with her RN in 1952.
During those years she began getting rides to church choir practice and to nursing school in a Jeep belonging to Harold Nelson, who also attended Bethany Lutheran (they
had been in Luther League together). On April 18, 1952, they were married at their
home church.
Connie and Harold lived in the Twin Cities area until January 1969 when they moved to Wenatchee, Washington. All the Nelson children were born during the Minnesota
years: Kenneth in 1957 (who died a year later in 1958 from encephalitis), Laura in 1958, Curt in 1960, and Terry in 1964. While in Wenatchee Connie worked at the Wenatchee
Valley Clinic, where she loved caring for babies and holding them. She worked there until she retired from professional nursing.
Connie and Harold had very active lives. There was lots of hiking and camping. They became mountain bikers. They loved cross country skiing and especially enjoyed ski
trips to Mt. Rainier with their children and grandchildren. And they played Disc Golf, traveling around and playing on courses all over the country.
As their children grew and moved west of the mountains, Connie and Harold found themselves making many trips from eastern to western Washington. They got tired of the driving and eventually moved to their home on Onyx Street in Lakewood in 1994.
Although retired from professional nursing, Connie was an active parish nurse at Christ Lutheran Church. She loved using her nursing experience but especially simply enjoyed
being attentive to people and having conversations with them. Connie also knit countless prayer shawls which gave comfort and encouragement to so many people.
A few years after Harold’s death Connie sold their home and moved to a six-plex at Tacoma Lutheran Home. In 2016 she moved into the independent living apartments. Although on the other side of town, Connie continued to be involved at Christ Lutheran. She loved the Thursday noon service and her friends there. She faithfully attended whatever class was being taught there, and also attended bible classes at the Tacoma Lutheran Home. Her children and grandchildren came to visit her often while she lived at the Tacoma Lutheran Home. She also was so happy to spend time with her great-grandchildren.
On September 21 she was found breathing but unresponsive in her apartment. Her family gathered around her hospital bed for a service putting her in her Lord’s hands
and she quietly died on Saturday evening, September 22.
She was loved and will be dearly missed.
Connie is survived by:
Her daughter Laura Wood and husband Mike, of
Lakewood;
Her son Curt Nelson of Fort Collins, Colorado;
Her daughter Terry Donor and her husband Pete of
Lakewood, and their children
Josiah and his wife Hannah, of Auburn, WA. and their
sons, Silas and Ethan;
Micah and his wife Tai, of Eugene, Oregon;
Noah, and Hannah;
Her brother, Harold Knutson and his wife Simone, of Vancouver, B.C;
Connie was preceded in death by:
Her son, Kenny,
Her husband, Harold,
Her parents, Knut and Helen Knutson.
Memorial gifts can be made to the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community Foundation at www.tacomalutheran.org or phone 253-284-7538.
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