Dorothea Caroline Nelson

Dorothea C. Nelson, age 99, of Willmar and formerly of Sunburg, passed away Monday morning, November 6, at Bethesda Grand in Willmar.

Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. followed by the celebration of life service at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 15, at Hope Lutheran Church in Sunburg.  Interment will be at West Norway Lake Lutheran Cemetery.  Arrangements are entrusted to the Peterson Brothers Sunburg Funeral Home.  www.petersonbrothers.com

Dorothea Caroline Nelson was born on July 11, 1924, on the family farm in Hayes Township, Swift County, Minnesota, the daughter of Walter and Elsie (Herrmann) Grothe.  She grew up in the rural Murdock community, was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Raymond and confirmed at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Benson.  She attended country school #62 in Pope County and graduated from Benson High School in 1943.  On October 24, 1948, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Benson, she was united in marriage to Hjalmer Nelson.  Born to this union were five children, Douglas, Linda, Louise, Marie and Jeanne.  They made their home in the Kerkhoven area for a while before moving to a farm near Sunburg.  They were members of Spring Creek Lutheran Church. In 1965, they moved into Sunburg and became members of Hope Lutheran.  Dorothea was active as a Sunday School teacher, a member of WELCA and her church circle.  She served as the church treasurer for over 25 years.  She also worked as a bookkeeper for over 40 years at Benson Machine Company, Swift County A.S.C.S in Benson and the Christian Labor Association in Willmar.  She was also treasurer and member of the Sunburg City Council for many years.  She enjoyed gardening, both vegetables and flowers, baking and reading.  Following the death of her husband Hjalmer in 2000, Dorothea moved to West View Village in Willmar.  While living in Willmar, Dorothea worked part-time for the West Central Tribune delivering newspapers.  She enjoyed baking goodies for “afternoon coffee hour”.  In 2022, Dorothea moved into the Bethesda Grand Nursing Home.

She is survived by four children, Douglas (and Mary) Nelson of Murdock, Linda Stein of Hutchinson, Marie Triden of Willmar and Jeanne (and Steven) Sondrol of Sunburg; fifteen grandchildren; thirty-one great grandchildren; one sister, Rosemarie Monson of Starbuck, and a sister-in-law, Harriet Erickson of Colorado, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Hjalmer; one daughter, Louise and her husband, Larry Netland; one sister, Elsie Danielson (Edner); three brothers, Walter Grothe (Vi), Robert Grothe (Gwen) and August Grothe (Joanne); brother-in-law, James Monson; as well as Hjalmer's siblings, Rudy Nelson, Leif Nelson (Arlene), Ebba Falk (Wendell) and Marie Eisenreich (Francis); and sons-in-law, Arnie Stein and Will Triden.