Neil married Kelly A Campbell on 14 May 2005 in Indianola, Warren County, Iowa, USA. Kelly was born on 8 Apr 1980 in Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

James married Marilyn Joyce Schear on 8 Apr 1972 in Hampton, Franklin County, Iowa, USA. Marilyn was born on 19 Jan 1949 in Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

I have so many wonderful memories of celebrating our birthdays together! Notoriously Uncle Marion would send a new Kitten home with me against my dad Robert Leroy Nelsen's wishes!!! Also I think I was 4-5 years old we were all together and Aunt Wanda made homemade spaghetti & meatballs I had this heaping amount of spaghetti thinking I'm not going to be able to eat it all loved the two of them, lots!!

Lori Laureen Tobiasson (nee Nelsen)on 11 May 2016

As kids, when grandpa was in the hospital in Omaha, dad left us three boys with Marion and Wanda. I remember playing with trucks on the back porch area. At any rate, sometime during the evening, my brother Jeremy went missing. Wanda frantically searched for him but since he was just a baby he couldn't get far and Marion wasn't too worried. Jeremy had managed to crawl behind the couch and wedged in there. They eventually found him. I always looked up to Marion and still picture Wanda as a Barbra Stanwick type from Big Valley.

Randy James Nelsen on 11th May 2016



Marion W. Nelsen was born May 11,1917 to Peter C .and Anna Elsie (Rossen) Nelsen on a farm north of Curtis, NE. As a small child they moved to a farm south of Curtis where he attended country school and then graduated from NSA in Curtis in 1937.

In 1941 he enlisted in the Air Force and was sent overseas in February of 1942. He was stationed in the South Pacific on Christmas Island, New Heberdies and Guadalcanal. He returned to the states June of 1944 and was stationed at Victorville Air Base, CA. He was later honorably discharged at Ft. Leavenworth in 1945.

He married Wanda Fratti October 20, 1945 in Detroit, Michigan. They returned to Curtis in 1947 and moved to a farm south of Curtis, living there 16 years. Their children Jim and Diane spent most of their young lives on this farm.

The family moved north of Curtis in 1963 and lived there until 1990 when Marion and Wanda retired and moved to North Platte, NE after 43 years of farming.
He was a life-time member of the American Legion and served on the school board of the Curtis Elementary School.

His family remembers his love of his children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He was responsible for many of them learning to drive an old stick shift car on their farm south of Curtis. He was also an avid sports fan traveling to three states to watch his grandsons and great nephew play football.

Marion was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers and their spouses Leroy and Velma Nelsen, Kenneth and Dolly Nelsen, sisters and spouses Margaret and Marvin Schmid, Doris and Gerald Awtry, nephew Dennis Awtry and most recently his wife of 64 years, Wanda Nelsen.

Survivors include his son Jim Nelsen and wife Marilyn of Marion, Iowa and daughter Diane Pollmann and husband Larry of McCook. Grandsons Clint (Mandi) Nelsen of Grimes, IA, Neil (Kelly) Nelsen of Indianola, IA, Darren (Courtney) Pollmann of McCook, NE and granddaughter Lisa Pollmann of McCook, NE. Great grandchildren Elle, Lane, Tyde, Aspen and Grady Nelsen and Olivia, Miles and Eileen Pollmann and a host of friends and relatives. 

Marion married Wanda Fratti on 20 Oct 1945 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA. Wanda (daughter of Giuseppe Fratti and Elena Fulgari) was born on 7 Dec 1920 in Pavulo, Italy; died on 22 Feb 2010. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

TRENTON -- Wanda Nelsen, 89, formerly of Curtis, died Monday (Feb. 22, 2010) at El Dorado Manor in Trenton.

She was born Dec. 7, 1920 , to Giuseppe "Joseph" and Elena (Fulgari) Fratti at Pavulo, Italy. She and her mother joined her father in the United States in February, 1926. She graduated from Pershing High School in Detroit, Mich., in 1939. Upon completing high school she did secretarial work in the Detroit area.

On Oct. 20, 1945, she married Marion Nelsen in Detroit. She moved shortly after and lived on a farm south of Curtis for 16 years. She farmed north of Curtis from 1963 until 1990, at which time she retired and moved to North Platte. She worked at the Frontier county Extension office for several years and then went to work for the University of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture, where she retired after 20 years. In June 1983, she was selected as the recipient of the award for the "Outstanding Employee of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources" which included the entire university system and the extension service.

She was preceded in death by her parents; step-father, Gildo Zuccarini; in-laws, Peter C. and Elsie Nelsen, Margaret and Marvin Schmid, Leroy and Velma Nelsen, Kenneth and Dolly Nelsen and Doris and Gerald Awtry.

Survivors include her husband of 64 years, Marion; son, James P. and wife, Marilyn Nelsen of Marion, Iowa; daughter, Diane and husband, Larry Pollmann of McCook; four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be Saturday, 10:30 a.m., at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Curtis with the Rev. Clark Bates officiating. Inurnment will be on Monday, 10:30 a.m., at Fort McPherson National Cemetery south of Maxwell.