Florence M. Nelson, 86

Washington County native Florence M. Nelson, 86, died Saturday, March 1, 2008, at Brookestone Village in Omaha.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 7, at Zion Lutheran Church, 142nd and Ida streets. Interment will be at Evergreen Memorial Park in Omaha.

Florence Margaret Holstein was born March 14, 1921, at Spiker to Victor and Jesse Holstein. She graduated from Blair High School in 1939. She attended college at Wayne State where she obtained her teaching certificate.

Her first teaching position was at the Whitford Country School in Washington County where she taught K-8. She then taught at Arlington, after Whitford merged with the Arlington Schools.

She met Howard Nelson at a dance in Blair in 1940. The couple married on Dec. 13, 1943, at Zion Lutheran Church in Omaha.

After her husband’s return from the service, the Nelsons began farming near Boys Town in Omaha at 132nd and Dodge Streets.

In March of 1960, the Nelson family moved to Washington County and continued the farming operations. In 1995, after retiring, they moved back into Omaha.

She was involved in 4-H for many years as a 4-H leader. She taught Sunday School for 25 years at Zion Lutheran Church and was also a member of the Lydia Circle. She had been a member of the Douglas and Washington County Extension Clubs for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson were also members of the Elkhorn VE Grange from 1947 – 1997.

She is survived by her husband, Howard; a son and daughter-in-law, Clayton and Brenda Nelson; a daughter and son-in-law, Holly and Jerry Sander; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren and a brother, Everett Holstein.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Hazel Appleby and two brothers, Howard and Warren Holstein.

Memorials are suggested to either Zion Lutheran Church, or the Concordia Junior/Senior High School.

Omaha World Herald 5 Mar 2008

NELSON – Florence M. age 86, Omaha died 3/1/08. She is survived by husband, Howard; son and daughter-in-law, Clayton and Brenda, of Omaha; daughter and son-in-law, Holly and Jerry Sander, of Kiowa, CO; 6 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; brother, Everett Holstein.

FUNERAL SERVICE Friday 10:30 am at Zion Lutheran Church, 142nd & Ida. Interment Ever-green Memorial Park. VISITATION Thursday Noon-8pm with family receiving friends from 6-8pm at the funeral home. Memorials to the church, or Concordia Jr./Sr. High School.

REICHMUTH FUNERAL HOME 21901 West Maple 289-2222

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~