Obituary of Elsie Nelson

Beloved Mother, Grandmother & much loved ‘Great’ – Elsie Wilhelmine Nelson (Vieth), of Zion, IL – went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Monday, November 14th, 2016 at the Sheridan Medical Complex in Kenosha, WI. Born December 28th, 1913 in Chicago, IL, her family moved to Zion City, IL, when she was 5 years old to be a part of the Christian Catholic Church founded by Dr. John Alexander Dowie. She was married in 1934 to Frederick Nelson. Her husband was drafted into the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Elsie lived and raised their eldest daughter, Karen, in California during the war years. After the war was over, Fred and Elsie built their life between Zion, Florida and Arizona according to Fred’s construction jobs in the midst of raising 2 more daughters, Jeannine and Pamela. After her husband passed away in 1971, Elsie continued on in continual support of her daughters with the added blessings of her grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Elsie was a lifelong member of the Christian Catholic Church, a faithful supporter of their missionaries and Camp Zion as well as many of the other various church ministries. She participated in Women’s Christian Club, Zion Women’s Service, Minding the Gap and the Zion Passion Play. Elsie loved to paint, taking many art classes throughout the years. Elsie was preceded in death by her Papa and Mama, August and Minnie Vieth, her siblings Ruth Nagode and Wesley Vieth; her husband Frederick Nelson and precious daughter Karen Nelson. She is survived by her loving daughters, Jeannine (James) Pitcher and Pamela (Daniel) Engstrom; her dear nieces & nephew, Bonnie (Joseph) Shultis, Judy (Bruce) Varker and Gregory (Ellen) Nagode; her grandchildren, Danelle Jans, Karen (Gary) Rudd, Matthew (Christina) Engstrom, Jennifer (Lawrence) Finkler, Lisa (Travis) Ingebrigtson and Timothy (Heather) Pitcher; her precious great-grandchildren – Lynsey, Hunter, Ashley, Zachary, Tyler, Lucas, Tobias, Gabriel, Moriah, Josiah, Noah, Alexandria, Isabella, Coralie, Tyler, Violet, Rylend, Wesley and Sophia; and many great nieces and nephews including Kimberley (Jason) Carlson, Timothy (Kristy) Shultis and Amybeth (Sean) Reed. One of the enduring legacies Elsie left behind from the many years the Lord gave to her on this Earth would be her devoted prayer life that consistently showed her unwavering belief in the faithfulness, goodness and healing power of the Lord. Visitation will be held Saturday, November 19, 2016 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. and the funeral service at 11:00 at the Christ Community Church, 2500 Dowie Memorial Dr., Zion, IL. Burial services will take place at Mt. Olivet Memorial Park, Zion, IL. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Camp Zion, P.O. Box 32, Ellison Bay, WI 54210 or through the following link www.campzion.com/Camp_Zion/Donate.html.