Nancy Christine Nelson's Obituary
NANCY CHRISTINE NELSON (Rulien)
May 8, 1935 - November 29, 2008
Nancy Nelson went to be with the Lord on Saturday, November 29, 2008. She was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. The youngest of 3 children born to Ernest Rulien and Maybelle (Gore) she was a devoted Mother and friend and gave herself unselfishly to others.
Nancy worked at Puget Sound Bank, Tacoma General Hospital in Birth Records and with the Tacoma School District in Food Service and Secretarial where she received her pension at retirement.
She is preceded in death by her husband of 42 years, Donal Ross Nelson in 1996.
Nancy loved all her family and friends and was always trying to help. From making scrapbooks for her nieces and nephews to lending an ear to one with domestic problems, to bringing spaghetti to her house bound friend, you could always count on her to be there for you.
She is instrumental in her son, Brian Nelson's recovery from his Mount Rainier fall in 1995 and is at peace knowing he can care for himself. I believe that is why she lived as long as she did with her many health problems. She wanted to be sure that Brian would be ok.
Nancy loved camping in her RV and was devastated when her husband died. She tried to camp on her own but, it was never the same without him and gave it up for plane travel. She went to the East Coast with her grandaughter, Samantha as a chaperone for her school in 1997 and to Europe in 1999 with her daughter, Diane and grandchildren Samantha and Christopher as chaperones as well. She traveled to Alaska and Branson several times with her friends and was looking forward to a bus trip to Leavenworth with family and friends this Saturday.
We often talked about why she had outlived many of her friends and family. She had many health problems but was satisfied with the length of her life. She had just become a member of Praise Covenant Church on November 23, 2008 but fell ill the night before and could not attend her membership service. She wondered why she outlived seemingly "healthy" people but, we credited it to her Will to live.
My Mom loved all of you! All her friends and family and never held a grudge against anyone.
She will be greatly missed by all of you, especially her son Brian, daughter Diane, grandchildren Samantha and Christopher whom she was known as DEEDEE, sister Marjorie and Nancy's beloved dog, Rocky!
Viewing of her body will be Tuesday, December 2, 2008 11:00-9:00 pm at Mountain View Funeral Home
Services will be held at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 in the Valley Chapel. There will be no graveside service.
Everyone is welcome to Nancy's home after the service for food and sharing hosted by Diane and Brian.
4301 62nd Avenue West
University Place, Washington 98466
Phone/ 253 565-6645
Donations can be made in her name to:
Praise Covenant Church
3501 South Orchard Street
Tacoma, WA 98466
She told me just a week ago that she planned on giving money to her church so, please donate in her behalf!
What’s your fondest memory of Nancy?
What’s a lesson you learned from Nancy?
Share a story where Nancy's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Nancy you’ll never forget.
How did Nancy make you smile?