Nancy Ellen Nelson, 85, of Nancy Lake, Alaska, passed on early in the morning of Friday April 15, 2011. She was in Hospice of the Valley in Mesa, Arizona with her family present. She succumbed to complications of recurrent breast cancer that reappeared in her spine March 11, causing a sudden paralysis from the middle back down. Radiation treatments failed to reverse the paralysis and Nancy had a steady decline over the next month.
Nancy was born Nancy Ellen Marshall in Elkins, West Virginia on June 10, 1925. She was the daughter of Adam Jacob Marshall of Mingo, West Virginia (1896-1974) and Katharyn Marshall (née Wilt) of Davis, West Virginia (1899-1966). She had two sisters Constance Wilt (Connie) Donaldson (children: Bill, Jr., Marsha, Kent and Scott) and Elinor Louise (Louise) Lawrence (deceased 1987), daughter Patricia Ann. Adam Marshall was a civil engineer, a skill that took him to various parts of the world. Nancy attended high school in San, Juan, Puerto Rico. After high school she went to Gregg Business College for one year also in San Juan. She began a secretarial career as a clerk-typist for the U.S. Civil Service at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico from 1943 to 1945.
She later moved to Juneau, Alaska
and worked for the Alaska Dept. of Health from 1949 to 1952 as a medical secretary for a German woman radiologist Dr. Karola Reitlinger. Nancy met and married Ralph Edward Nelson in Juneau, Alaska April 27, 1952. After marrying Ralph she relocated to Anchorage and worked again for Dr. Reitlinger at the Alaska Dept. of Health and Welfare in Anchorage. Dr. Reitlinger retired so Nancy took a position as a medical records librarian at The Alaska Psychiatic Institute (API) for Chief Psychiatrist F. Ivanichek, M.D. up until the 1964 earthquake. After the 1964 earthquake the family moved to Alexandria, VA. and she worked for Colonel Bayard V. Grant, USAF in the Defense Fuel Supply Center as a secretary/stenographer. Nancy had a TOP SECRET clearance for this position.
In 1968 the family returned to Anchorage where Nancy once again went to work for API. Ralph retired from the FAA in 1974 after 31 years and Ralph and Nancy relocated to Puyallup, WA to be close to Ralph’s family (mother Hilda Nelson and sister Lillian Landoe and her family). The weather there was not pleasant in the winter and since they returned to Alaska in the summer, Puyallup was not a good fit for the winter months, so in 1977 they followed other retired Alaskans to Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1987 they made their last move to Mesa, AZ where they lived together for 20 more years. Ralph died in 2007.
Ralph and Nancy were snowbirds, returning to Nancy Lake, Alaska each spring. This even continued for most of the nine years after Ralph had his stroke in 1998. They proved up on Nancy Lake in 1959 and have been building and remodeling the property ever since. Even at 85 years of age, Nancy spent part of the summer at Nancy Lake in 2010.
Nancy had three sons, Sidney Adam of Anchorage, AK (deceased 2009), David Ralph of Memphis, TN and Roger Odin of North Pole, AK. Her grandchildren include Sid’s and Pamela’s two daughters Heather Michelle Nelson and Tiffany Kristell Idler; Roger’s daughter Leslie Ann; and David’s children Adam Marshall, Stephen Edward, and Sienna Christine Nelson. Sidney’s wife Diana DeVore Nelson had three children Curtis, DeWayne and Debborah DeVore. Roger’s wife Barbara A. Nelson had two children Mike B. Cobian and Maria Cobian. Great-grandchildren include Heather’s son Tyler, Tiffany’s four children Devon, Derrick, Dion and Kennedy, and Leslie’s four children Khaniya, Kanasia, Kebrina and Korrine. Maria has three children, Christopher, Alliyah, and Amber Sawyer. DeWayne and Carmen DeVore have three children Brandon, Chad and Kory DeVore. Curtis has one child, Morgan.
Nancy had many long time friends including Ralph’s caregiver Torrence Clinton. He cared for Ralph after his stroke and continued to help Nancy after Ralph’s death. Nancy’s friends in Apache Wells were Bill and Donna Waldron, Al and Anita Nordhof. Outside the park, more long time Alaskan friends include Betty Jean and Warren Black, Marge and Bob Gerden both of Sun Lakes and John and Nancy Hutz of Sun City.
Nancy was the family historian and genealogist, inheriting that interest from her mother. Her mother made extensive researches into her family history to join the Daughters of the American Revolution. Nancy was a member of the Colonel John Evans Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Morgantown, West Virginia. However, some things were more suited to her TOP SECRET clearance, as she and Ralph conspired to burn all their love letters, not wishing their children to see how human they were as young lovers. Now what remains in their archives are boxes and boxes of income tax forms, appliance instruction manuals and fortunately, thousands of photographs since Nancy loved to take pictures and make scrapbooks. Nancy was also a stamp collector with many volumes of stamps from the early days of airmail to many modern commemorative sets.
Nancy was the heart of the family. She knew everyone’s birthday and was sure to send you a birthday card and gifts at Christmas. She knew and corresponded with relatives in Norway and often entertained distant relations who happened to be in Arizona or Alaska, even if they could not speak English. She will be missed greatly by all.
She will be buried with Ralph at the National Cemetery on Fort Richardson during the summer at a time yet to be determined.
