Alice Nelson

Alice Nelson, age 90, of Sisseton, South Dakota passed away Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at the Tekakwitha Living Center in Sisseton. She is now at peace with her Lord after her brave battle with dementia, joining parents George D. and Augusta “Gussie” Smith; sisters Carol Barutko and Mary Jane O’Connell; and daughters-in-law Judith Nelson and Susan Nelson, who preceded her in death.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Sisseton with Fr. Jerry Ranek Celebrant. Organist will be Basil Knebel and song leader will be Sandi Jaspers.

Visitation will be held Saturday morning one hour prior to service time at the church. Burial will be in the Sisseton Cemetery at a later date. Pallbearers will be grandchildren: Thad Nelson, Jessica Rasmussen, Adam Nelson, Brock Nelson, Heather Mulder and Casey Gray. Honorary Pallbearers will be Alice’s grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the staff of the Tekakwitha Living Center.

Alice was born January 14, 1929 in St. Paul, Minnesota to George and Augusta Smith. She attended school and graduated High School in St. Paul. She was united in marriage to Jerome Nelson on July 8, 1947 in St. Paul. The couple moved to Sisseton where they farmed. They later moved to Seattle, Washington where Jerry worked for Boeing Aircraft. In 1960, they returned to Sisseton where they farmed until retirement.

Alice loved her family, her church, her friends, and the Minnesota Twins! She was one of a kind. Generous in spirit with a ready smile, she welcomed everyone with a cup of coffee and a seat at the table! She loved listening to and joining in on the banter of the eight children she got to call ‘hers’! A lot of laughter and stories were exchanged at the table!

Being Mom to eight children on a farm would be daunting to most but not to Alice! Her gardens were the envy of everyone who had the opportunity of walking through them! Growing and preserving food, preparing meals, cooking, and placing the food on the table was a feat most of us cannot imagine! Yet, she did it day in and day out making it look easy AND making it look like she actually enjoyed it!

With the children grown, Alice and Jerry were able to spend about half of each year in Caliente Hot Springs, CA. Alice loved the camaraderie and activity of retirement living. She developed many wonderful friendships and memories there. Many will remember her for “Alice’s Eggs” which highlighted her creativity and talent through her egg art business. She also enjoyed swimming, walking, Red Hat Ladies, line dancing, and even a bit of modeling for senior wear!

Alice will be dearly missed by all who were lucky enough to know her.

Alice is survived by her husband Jerome “Jerry” of Sisseton; sisters: Pat Polmature of Washington and Barb (Carey) Simon of Vista, CA; brother Tom Smith of Lake Havasu City, AZ; and her children: Terry Nelson of Piedmont, SD; Steve (Carol) Nelson of Albuquerque, NM; Mike (Carmen) Nelson of Raleigh, NC; Pat Nelson of Lennox, SD; Dan (Joan) Nelson of Zimmerman, MN; Mark (Linda) Nelson of Sisseton, SD; Kevin (Julie) Nelson of Sisseton, SD; and Dawn (Chad) Schmidt of Dumont, MN; along with twenty grandchildren and thirty great-grandchildren.