Services for Carl H. Nielsen, 67 of Yankton, South Dakota, who died February 10, 1996 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton are Tuesday, February 13 at St. John Lutheran Church in Yankton. Rev. David Gunderson and Rev. Paul Wenz are officiating. Burial will be at 3:30 p.m. at the Blair Cemetery in Blair.

Carl H. Nielsen was born June 15, 1928 to Rev. Niels Peter and Maren Christine Olsen Nielsen in Luck, Wisconsin. At the age of four, he moved with his family to Viborg, South Dakota and in 1940 they moved to Clinton, Wisconsin.

In 1944, they moved to Laurel, Nebraska where he graduated from Laurel High School in 1947. He graduated from Dana College in Blair in 1951 with a bachelor of arts degree in English and music.

He married Phyllis Benson August 5, 1955 in Niobrara, Nebraska.

He was honored in Phi Beta Kappa when he received his master of arts in education in 1967 from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. He received his specialist degree in public school administration in 1983 from Kearney State College in Kearney, Nebraska.

He was a church choir director and principal for the public schools in Emerson, Nebraska from 1951 to 1953; Niobrara, 1953 – 1965; Creighton, Nebraska from 1965 – 1981; Wolbach, Nebraska from 1981 – 1984; Montrose, South Dakota from 1984 – 1991 and Newman Grove, Nebraska from 1991 – 1993. He retired to Yankton in 1993 where he became the music director for St. John Lutheran Church.

He was a member of the Sons of Norway, Community Concert, Life Light Bible Class and was an Admiral in the Nebraska Navy.

He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers and three sisters.

He is survived by his wife, Phyllis of Yankton; a daughter and son-in-law, Jeanmarie and Michael Anderson and their children, Colin and Maren, all of Blair; a son, Joel Nielsen of Lincoln; his mother-in-law, Irene Benson of Bloomington, Minnesota; a brother and sister-in-law, Rev. LeVern and Marilyn Nielsen of Elk Horn, Iowa; a sister and brother-in-law, Vera Mae and Charles Doldge of Redwood Falls, Minnesota; sisters-in-law, Betty Nielsen of Bloomington, Minnesota and Elva Nielsen of Cedar Falls, Iowa; brothers-in-law, Paul Neve and Otto Stave, both of Blair and 30 nieces and nephews.

Kostel Funeral Home in Yankton is in charge of arrangements.

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