Obituary of Janice Rae Nelson

Janice Rae Nelson, 84, passed on to our Lord Jesus Christ on May 15, 2019 at The Palms, a skilled nursing facility in Palm Bay after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Jan was born on a small farm near La Crescent, Minnesota on October 19, 1934. She was the third of six children of Amanda (Doely) and Joseph Williams. She is survived by three brothers, Daniel, Joseph, and Edward. Two other brothers, Delvin and Gerald have passed on. She attended grade school in a one room school house across the road from her farm. The higher grades were attended in La Crosse, Wisconsin graduating from Central High School in June, 1951. She then studied medical X-ray technology at St Francis school of Nursing in La Crosse meeting her husband Ronald S. Nelson on a blind date. They were married on February 6, 1954, which lasted for 65 years until her demise. They were blessed with three children, John Ronald Nelson a Cardiologist (Zarrin), Bruce Richard Nelson an Electrical Engineer (Beth), and Karen (K-Rae) Nelson teacher (Victor). They have four grandchildren, Ashley Rae Nelson an Internist, Kristen Michelle Nelson a psychiatrist, Liane Whitney Nelson a second-year law student, and Isabelle Bronya-Rae Vianu a first-year medical student. They have two great-grandchildren, and two step great-grandchildren. Jan earned her pilots wings at age 54 and joined the 99’s a women’s pilot organization. She accumulated 800 pilot hours in her 15 years of flying in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Part of this was to a medical clinic in Mexico. Ron went to medical school at age 35 and Jan went to work as a Physical Therapy Technician and then as Ron’s medical office manager for 25 years in Fresno, California. She and her husband retired in 2001 and became snow birds commuting between Fresno, California and Palm Bay, Florida, first in a Cessna 210 airplane, and finally in a motorhome. They moved to The Fountains of Melbourne five years ago when Jan developed significant symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Over the years she was an avid square dancer, back packer in the Sierra Nevada California mountains, canoeing in Canada, and cross-country skiing. Jan took up water color painting and covered the walls of their home in Fresno with her impressions. She also served on their church council, and the foundation board of a Fresno hospital. She was a member of PEO, an organization where women celebrate the advancement of women, by celebrating, educating, and motivating women to achieve their highest aspirations. Services will begin with a viewing starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at Schumacher-Kish Funeral Home located at 111 South Oak Street, La Crescent, Minnesota. Dr Friedland has done outstanding research regarding Parkinson’s Disease. Instead of flowers, please donate your gifts to the “University of Louisville Foundation, Dr. Robert Friedland’s research Fund”, at 132 East Gray Street, Louisville, KY 40202.