Pearl Josephine Nelson

Pearl Nelson, age 86, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Hartford, died on Friday, October 8, 2010, at Good Samaritan Village in Sioux Falls. Funeral Services will begin at 1:00 P.M. Tuesday, October 12, 2010, at Benton Lutheran Church, rural Crooks. Visitation will begin at 3:00 P.M. Monday, with the family present from 6-8:00 P.M. at the Minnehaha Funeral Home, Baltic.

Pearl Josephine Nelson was born on June 29, 1924, to John and Martha (Roarson) Linge at Baltic. She grew up near Baltic and graduated from Lyons High School in 1941. On March 18, 1944, Pearl married Vernon Nelson at Willow Creek Lutheran Church, rural Dell Rapids. They enjoyed 57 years together. They farmed near Hartford until moving into Sioux Falls in 1983. Pearl worked as a waitress for 38 years at various restaurants including 25 years at the Rolling Pin until retiring in 1999. Vernon died on September 7, 2001. Pearl was a member of Benton Lutheran Church and the Norse Glee Club Auxiliary. She enjoyed reading, baking goodies, spending time with her family, and traveling.

Grateful for having shared her life are her daughters, Rev. Janet Zoss of Sioux Falls, Kathleen (fiance, Bob Mathiesen) Eisenberg of Sioux Falls and Linda (Marlin) Elbers of Steen, Minnesota; eleven grandchildren, Lisa (Ken) Tschetter, Jennifer Zoss, Mary Zoss, LeaAnn Nicholson, Julie (Stacy) Hebb, Brenda Brokenleg, Daniel (Andrea) Eisenberg, Kristi (Daniel) DeGroff, Stacy (TJ) Schmidtke, Jeremy Elbers, and Sonya Elbers; sixteen great-grandchildren, Margaret, Lucy, Grace, and Sophia Tschetter, Allison Elliot, Victoria and Ethan Olson, Kaitlyn and Kassidy Hebb, Miles Brokenleg, Victoria, Evan, and Graham Eisenberg, Hannah and Malachi DeGroff, and Koby Nagel; two brothers-in-law, two sisters-in-law and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, a grandson, a great-grandson, three brothers and five sisters.