Fern Nelson passed away at Twilight Acres Nursing Home in Wall Lake, IA, on Saturday, February 21, 2015. Fern lived diligently and with charisma through an amazing 98 years of life en route to ultimately reunite now with her husband, Donald, and her parents, Joseph and Adele (Tiborden) Nellis, along with her siblings Wendell, Millie, Arlene, Ruby, Grace, Marian, and Jean.
Born December 4,1916, and having been raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm outside of Luxemburg, Fern was an outdoor girl who always said she had strong hands and wrists from her days in the barn milking cows. She would graduate from Luxemburg High School (as Valedictorian no less) and then would graduate from business college and become a book keeper and secretary.
Following her education she would meet her future husband, Don, on a blind date to go roller skating in Green Bay setup by mutual friends. Don was a sales rep for Jewel Tea in the Green Bay area. They would be married on June 14, 1941 and Don would enter the service shortly after. During Don's service to his country, Fern would epitomize the Rosie the Riveter icons of this era, even driving her sister, Marian, along with her to continue collecting payments owed by some of Don's customers.
When Don returned from the war, he and Fern relocated to his native Lake View, along with a very young son, Larry. There they would continue the Jacobsen family seed business while completing their family with the birth of Mary and Becky. Fern would stay at home to raise three successful children, but she also was very active in her community and maintained a very high civic duty. She was a lector at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Wall Lake, Iowa and participated in Guild. She was in Woman's Club and many organizations where she held multiple board positions. Fern loved to play games of all sorts, including Mexican Tiles and Cribbage (that she and Lar played daily when she entered Twilight Acres), but her most favorite was always bridge.
At her death, Fern continued down her own path as she outlived the rest of her siblings! Fern leaves her legacy through son Larry and Lynn Nelson, of Lake View, and their children David Nelson (Anji Bennett and their daughter Eliana) of Spencer, Dan Nelson of Minneapolis, and Kate Nelson (fiancé Joe Straight and their children Jack and Charlie Jo) of Dallas, TX, daughter Mary Ira, of Aurora, CO, and her children Joe Ira (girlfriend Margaux) of Des Moines and Rachel Ira (David Smith and their children Sullivan and Harvey) of Aurora, CO and daughter Becky and Steve Stille, Storm Lake, and their children Sarah Stille (husband Adam Dickinson and their daughter Ellie) of Rochester, MN and Meredith Stille (fiancé Michael Daley) of State College, PA. Fern leaves nieces and nephews from Green Bay, Oconto Falls, Milwaukee, WI, and North Carolina, etc.
She was preceded in death by her husband Don in 1996, her parents, siblings and their spouses, and one niece.
Her family will miss Fern, but her legacy will live strong... in those who loved and knew her best.
