Edna Kathryn Nelson

Funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m., Wednesday at the Holy Family Catholic Church. Burial is in St. John's Catholic Cemetery. The family will greet friends from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday at the Joyce Funeral Home. There will be a Catholic Daughters Rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a vigil service at 7:00 p.m. Edna Kathryn Nelson was born on January 23, 1931 in rural Vernon Township daughter of Leo and Nellie (Calentine) Conway. She attended Vernon Township #1 Grade School, Ringsted High School and graduated from St. Mary's Academy, Emmetsburg, IA in 1949. She worked as a secretary & bookkeeper for the Quaker Oats Co. prior to her marriage. Edna was united in marriage to Charles L. Nelson on October 9, 1950 at Assumption Catholic Church in Emmetsburg, IA. To this union 8 children were born. She and Chuck farmed north of Emmetsburg for 40 years and later moved to an acreage west of town in 1987. Edna loved her family and friends. She enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, cooking, music, dancing, card games and traveling. She was an avid volunteer, especially for her church. Edna was a member of St. Thomas Parish and then Holy Family Parish serving on the financial ...[more]

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mittee; a director for several years and taught C.C.D. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, served many different offices and was appointed State District Deputy. One of her greatest honors was being Grand Marshall for the 2012 St. Patrick's Day Celebration. It was a grand day with nearly 100 of her family in attendance. On Monday, May 20, 2013, Edna passed away at Parc Hall in Emmetsburg. Survivors are her husband, Charles; her children: Dick & Anne Marie Nelson of Emmetsburg, LuAnn & Dan O'Brien of Emmetsburg, William & Mary Nelson of Choctaw, OK, Chuck Nelson & Kelly McCool of Ames, Jim & Diane Nelson of Emmetsburg, Janet & David Klein of Hospers, John & Carol Nelson of Ames and Steve & Maria Nelson of Palo; brother, Leo & Arlene Conway of Emmetsburg, sisters: Lucille & Wayne Sewell of Guthrie Center, Alice Murphy and Virginia Fokken of Cherokee, Delores & Harry Hauber of Spirit Lake, Mary Ellen & Bob Schroder of Ankeny and Francis & Ben Brink of Rock Rapids; sister-in-law, Ida Mae Joosten of Council Bluffs; and her 24 Grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Florence Lynch; grandson, Daniel; and 3 brothers-in-law, Bob Lynch, Don Murphy and Paul Fokken.