Eleanor Emma 'Ellie' Nelson

Eleanor Emma “Ellie” Nelson, passed away on Sept. 17, 2009, surrounded by love.

She and her twin brother, Elmer, were born on Jan. 17, 1927. Ellie married Amos Nelson on June 20, 1948. During their 54 years of marriage, she and Amos had three sons, Eric, Tony and Donny. However, they parented and taught many more children, serving as both foster parents for developmentally disabled children and teaching in Seventh-day Adventist elementary schools.

Eleanor was preceded in death by her husband and two of her sons. She is survived by her son, Tony Nelson (and Bev)  of Canoga Park, Calif.; daughter-in-law, Kathy Nelson and grandchildren, Brian Nelson and Susan Nelson; daughter-in-law, Marilyn Snipes and grandchildren Jeremy Nelson, Aubrey Nelson, Kelsey Nelson and Jaclyn Martin; and three great-grandchildren. She loved was loved by all her extended family, nieces and nephews and her many, many friends.

There are angels who walk this earth. They are very human beings who love in spite of their own heartache. As such, they give us all a picture of what God is really like. There are angels who walk this earth and sometimes we don’t recognize them. There are angels who walk this earth and Ellie was one them. There are angels that walk this earth — and this week one of them went back to God. We thank God for lending Ellie to us.