Thelma G. Nelson

Thelma Nelson, age 95, of Alexandria, died Saturday, January 30, 2016. A funeral service will be held at 7 PM Thursday, February 4, 2016 at the Anderson Funeral Home Visitation will be held from 6 to 7 PM Thursday at the funeral home. Interment will be at 12 Noon Friday, February 5 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. OBITUARY Thelma Genevieve Nelson was born on August 28, 1920, the youngest of five children of Norwegian immigrants Simon and Mathilda Iverson. She died January 30, 2016 at the Knute Nelson Home at age 95. Thelma was raised in Northeast Minneapolis and graduated from Edison High School in 1938. She was employed at Honeywell when she met Robert (Bob) Nelson, also from Minneapolis. They married on October 11, 1941. World War II began with the attack on Pearl Harbor, just two months after their marriage. Bob was sent to Army training in Little Rock, Arkansas before being shipped overseas. In 1947 his job with the Veterans’ Administration brought them to Alexandria, where they raised daughters Karen, Jeanne, and Gayle. Bob’s long career as a regional director for Minnesota’s Department of Emergency Services kept them happily in Alexandria. After Bob died in 1995, Thelma stayed on in their home for several years. She spent the last eight years of her life at Knute Nelson Home. Thelma and Bob were life-long members of The Alexandria Golf Club and were avid golfers. She golfed into her 80s. They were members of Calvary Lutheran Church. She was an excellent bridge player, and belonged to a couples’ bridge group with Bob, in addition to a womens’ bridge club that she enjoyed for over forty years. She belonged to the Zetetic Study Club, and at one time was its president. She gardened, was a good cook, and took art lessons and painted in her middle years. After Bob’s retirement, Thelma and Bob spent several winters in Arizona. They traveled to Hawaii, Asia, England, France, Norway, and Spain. Thelma will be remembered as a quintessential wife and mother; the heart of her family. She had an admirable moral code, and was honest and caring. She also had a fun spirit and a great sense of humor. She was an independent thinker with insightful opinions on politics and world affairs. Thelma was pre-deceased by three sisters and one brother. She is survived by daughters Karen (Bill) Erwin of Issaquah, WA, Jeanne (Tom) Kuhne of Maple Grove, MN, and Gayle (Steve) Druley of Maple Grove. Five grandchildren survive her: Courtney Erwin, Kelsey Garrett, Jacob Kuhne, Matthew Kuhne, and Tessa Druley, and seven great-grandchildren. Services were held at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria. Interment, next to Bob, followed at the Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Thelma G. Nelson

August 28, 1920 - January 30, 2016