Shirley M. Nelson, 92
Sat, 05/19/2018 - 5:24pm
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Sept. 8, 1925 —
May 1, 2018
Bloomington, Minn. - Mrs. Shirley M. Nelson, age 92, formerly of Cresco, Iowa died on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at Presbyterian Homes in Bloomington, Minn.
Services are pending and internment will be at the National Cemetery at Fort Snelling, Minn.
Shirley, the daughter of Ferd D. Smith and Mauna L. (Smith) Smith was born on Sept. 8, 1925 and lived in Oelwein, Iowa until graduation from Oelwein High School on May 27, 1943. Following her graduation, she performed secretarial work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she met and married Robert L. Nelson on March 13, 1948.
After the marriage, the couple moved to St. Louis, Mo., where Robert attended the College of Mortuary Science. Shirley worked as a secretary and attended classes at Iowa State College, while her husband worked for a funeral home in Ames, Iowa and in Iowa City, Iowa, when he attended the University of Iowa. After his graduation, the couple moved to Chicago where Robert enrolled in the Illinois College of Optometry. Shirley enjoyed working as a secretary in “The Loop.” In 1956, the couple moved to Cresco to set up an optometric practice.
In 2006, they moved to Apple Valley, Minn. and then to Valley Ridge Assisted Living in Burnsville, Minn. After Robert’s death in 2016, Shirley moved to the Presbyterian Homes in Bloomington.
She enjoyed golf, playing bridge and was a member of the Methodist Church and various women’s clubs in Cresco and Apple Valley.
Survivors include two daughters, Karen (Mark) Anderson of Cresco and Kimberly (John) Aldrich of Savage, Minn.; two grandchildren, Timothy (Tiffany) Anderson of Marysville, Kan. and Brooke (Shaun) McGehee of Geneva, Ill.; four great-grandchildren, Allison Anderson of Marysville, William McGehee and twins James and Andrew McGehee of Geneva; a sister, Jean Smith of New Mexico; brothers, Bill Smith of Oelwein and James (Marti) Smith of Indiana; and nieces and nephews.
She was proceeded in death by her husband, Dr. Robert L. Nelson; her parents; her step-mother, Roweena Smith; sisters, Carol Lohrer, Mardelle Clendenen and Doris Lawrence; brothers, Clare Smith, Robert Smith, Thomas Smith, Carl Smith; sister-in-law, Beverly Barton; and brother-in-law Richard Barton.
