Nancy H. Nelson, 76 years, of Fort Madison, Iowa died at 2:12 pm Sunday, December 1, 2013 at her home surrounded by those who loved her. She was born June 5, 1937 in Oak Park, Illinois, a daughter of Chester and Louise (Mattson) Henriksen. She first married Douglas Erickson on July 11, 1959 in LaGrange, Illinois, and they had three children: Kristi, Karl, and David. They later divorced. On March 16, 1985, she married Ernest "Ernie" Lee Nelson at Long Grove, Illinois. He preceded her in death September 18, 1996.


Nancy lived life with optimism and tenacity. She grew up in the West Chicago area. She attended LaGrange Township High School in LaGrange, Illinois. She spent many summers at the family cottage on Echo Lake in Lake Zurich, Illinois. She attended William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri in which she studied art. After college she was employed at Hallmark in Kansas City, Missouri as an in-house artist. She raised her family in Barrington, Illinois and worked in the Barrington School District. She was active in scouts, community, and supporting the arts. Later, she worked for Holke Press in Barrington, Illinois. In 1974 she along with two colleagues started a suburban entertainment magazine "Outside the Loop" for which she was art and event director. In 1985 she married Ernie Nelson and moved to Iowa. Together they happily owned and operated Spring Lake Golf Course in Fort Madison, Iowa for more than a decade; and continually built a life filled with family and friends in her retirement years.

She is survived by one daughter, Kristi (Jay)Schroeder, of Fort Madison, Iowa; two sons: Karl (Sue) Erickson, of Cary, Illinois and David Erickson (Leonard Jewell), of Chicago, Illinois; three step-sons: Matthew "Matt" Nelson, of Ankeny, Iowa; Scott (Jen) Nelson, of Des Moines, Iowa; Pete (Lauren) Nelson, of Arlington Heights, Illinois; one sister Marcia (Bill) Stice-Lawler, of Tampa, Florida; seven grandchildren: Stefany Gilman, Baylee Gilman, Megan Gilman, Matthew Nelson, Andrew Nelson, Michael Nelson, and Hayden Nelson; one aunt, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ernie; two brothers, Chester Henriksen and Edward Henriksen; and three sisters: Marilyn Skinner, Sonja Seger, and Barbara Shelton.

Her body has been cremated. Her family will celebrate her life from 9:00 - 11:00 am Saturday, December 7, 2013 at the Barr Memorial Chapel, Fort Madison. A private burial of her cremated remains will occur at a later date. A memorial has been established for Lee County Hospice and PAWS, contributions may be made at the Barr Memorial Chapel, Fort Madison.