Winifred R.E. Nelson, 97, of Pipestone, Minn., died Aug. 13, 2010.

Services are 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 20, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Pipestone. Interment will be at 1:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 23, in the Blair Cemetery.

Winifred Rose Eileen Nikolaisen was born Dec. 4, 1912, in Moorhead, Iowa, to Christian and Theodora (Sorensen) Nikolaisen. She attended school in rural Moorhead and graduated from Moorhead High School.

She attended Dana College in Blair, earning a one-year teaching degree, then taught school in rural Castana, Iowa, and rural Moorhead.

On June 5, 1935, she married Frederick T. Paulsen in Moorhead. The couple farmed near Blair. Her husband died in March of 1950.

She worked as a secretary for Dr. Rudolph Sievers, Chapman Plumbing, and the Lutheran Publishing House in Blair. She continued her education at Dana, and then taught at North Elementary School in Blair.

On June 16, 1961, she married Oscar Nelson in Blair. They lived on a farm near Mahnomen, Minn., and, in 1999, they moved to Pipestone. Mr. Nelson died in February of 2002.

She was baptized on Jan. 12, 1913, at the Danish Lutheran Church in Moorhead, where she would later be confirmed. In Blair, she was a member of First Lutheran Church, where she taught Sunday School. In Mahnomen, she was a member of First Lutheran Church, and was active with the church women, headed a Bible study/prayer group, and took part in quilting projects. In Pipestone, she was a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Mrs. Nelson volunteered at the Mahnomen Nursing Center and was active in the Mahnomen County Historical Society, the Mahnomen Garden Club and the Jolly Homemakers.

She enjoyed needlework, gardening, working on crafts and ceramics and watercolor painting.

She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Marlene Paulsen and Therkild Therkildsen of Niva, Denmark; Jeanette and Robert Larson of Pipestone and Jeri and David Jaeger of Mahnomen; two stepchildren and spouses, Joan and Gil Sorebo of Eau Claire, Wis., and Donald and Lorena Nelson of Garopaba, SC, Brazil; six grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; 14 step-great-grandchildren; three sisters and a brother-in-law, Pearl May of Marion, Ind., Elaine Jensen of Mesa, Ariz., and Marilyn and Frank Alexander of Colorado Springs, Colo.; nieces, nephews and great-nieces and -nephews.

In addition to her husbands, she was preceded in death by a brother, Chris Nikolaisen; two stepbrothers, Ed Nielsen and Bob Nielsen; and two stepsisters, Frances Nolan and Charlet Gohn.

Hartquist Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.