Gloria Mary Nelson

GLORIA MARY NELSON went home to be with the Lord on July 10, 2020 at the New Richland Care Center. She was 88 years old.

Gloria was born on Feb. 12, 1932 in Montrose to Henry and Jeannette (Griswold) Lange. She grew up in Montrose and graduated high school in Watertown in 1950. Gloria was working at Minneapolis-Moline in Hopkins as a switchboard operator where she met Wayne. On Nov. 10, 1956 she was united in marriage to Wayne, the love of her life, at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

Later they moved to New Richland where they raised their family on their farm. Gloria did the office work for their sodding business. Later she managed the office for their business Nelson Grain Company. She would buy and sell grain, manage the finances and bookwork, and handled the calls. She also worked in the billing department at the Waseca hospital for a couple of years.

She enjoyed volunteering and delivered meals. She was active in her church and served on the altar guild and Ladies Aid. She enjoyed the simple things in life such as gardening and canning, and she was an excellent wife, mother, and grandmother. The center of her life was her family and her happiest moments were the times she shared with them. She and her husband retired in Waseca in 2000. Gloria and her husband enjoyed traveling together throughout their life, including a trip to Europe and visiting Hawaii twice along with many other trips.

Gloria’s kind, loving heart and contagious smile will be remembered by her family. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Wayne Nelson; her children, Sherrie (Frank) Wilson of Spring Park and Allan (Doreen) Nelson of New Richland; son-in-law, Keith Volk of Maple Grove; two grandchildren, Jenna Nelson and Valerie Nelson; one sister, Joyce Dahms; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Jeannette Lange; one daughter, Laurie Volk; one grandson, Miles Wilson; and one sister, Murella Schmidt.

Services will be held at 11:00AM on July 15, 2020 at the State Street Chapel of Dennis Funeral & Cremation Services in Waseca. Gathering will begin at 10:30AM at the funeral home. dennisfuneralhomes.com