Pearl Nelson

Pearl Ione Nelson was born to Francis "Frank" and Anna (Siefkes) Williams on March 19, 1929 on a farm in Cottonwood County, Minnesota. She was baptized at the Presbyterian Church in Windom, Minnesota. She attended school in Jeffers, Minnesota until 11th grade and graduated from Bingham Lake High School in Bingham Lake, Minnesota. After her graduation in 1947, she worked in Worthington, Minnesota and Windom, Minnesota. On January 29, 1948, she was united in marriage to Victor Boyd Nelson in Windom, Minnesota. Following their marriage, they lived and farmed in Jackson County. In 1951, they moved to a farm in Murray County near Dundee, Minnesota for one year, they then moved to Trimont, Minnesota for one year and back to Windom. They rented farms near Balaton and Tyler, Minnesota before buying a farm in Murray County near Ruthton, Minnesota in 1967. They continued farming the land there as well as milking a herd of dairy cows until retiring in 1990. They moved to Pipestone, Minnesota in 1991. They began wintering in Mesa, Arizona in 1993 where they resided at the Good Life RV Park for the next 15 years. In the fall of 2020, they moved to Ridgeview Estates in Pipestone. In December, 2020, Boyd preceded her in death. In May of 2023, Pearl entered the Pipestone County Hospice House where she died on September 13, 2023 at the age of 94 years.

Pearl was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Pipestone where she was involved with the church circles. She was also a member of the Calumet Chapter No. 51 Order of Eastern Star, and for 21 years she volunteered at the Good Samaritan Communities of Pipestone which she enjoyed very much. Boyd and Pearl enjoyed dancing and square dancing in their younger years. While caring for their six children, Pearl kept busy cooking and baking for her family. She also raised a large vegetable garden, canning the vegetables, and dressing chickens, milking the dairy cows and helping with the farming when needed. Volunteering as a 4-H leader while her children were active in 4-H was an enjoyable change of pace for her. Pearl loved to sew and taught her daughters and granddaughters how to sew also. She also crocheted, making an afghan for each of her grandchildren. While wintering in Arizona, Pearl once made a lemon meringue pie for an ambulance fund raiser which sold at auction for $150. Pearl always looked forward to spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is lovingly remembered by her six children, Charles (Colleen) Nelson of Tyler, Minnesota, Dora (Allen) Rupp of St. Peter, Minnesota, Joanne (Scott) Herring of Omaha, Nebraska, Michael (Julie) Nelson of Holland, Minnesota, Julie Houselog of Bakersfield, California and James (Tami) Nelson of Ruthton, Minnesota; 17 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; and one sister, Hazel Dehmlow of Sanborn, Minnesota. She is preceded in death by her husband, Boyd Nelson; her parents; three sisters, Ruth Drexler, Mildred Middleton, and Phyllis Kulseth; an infant brother; two great-grandchildren; and a special nephew, Rodney Plantz.