A kind woman, Violet Nelson, passed away July 17, 2017 at the Baptist Health Care Center in Bismarck at the age of 96. Violet crept gradually into ill health, and dementia eventually, 18 years ago. She was cared for by her loving husband, Merlin. Due to his own ill health, he transferred those responsibilities to the nursing home, where she received fine care the past 6 years.

A funeral service will be held 10:00 AM Saturday, July 22 ^nd at St. Olaf Lutheran Church of rural Turtle Lake, ND with Pastor Sondra Krogstad officiating. Interment will be held at 9:00 AM Monday, July 24 ^th at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, south of Mandan.  Visitation will be held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Friday at Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, 1701 Sunset Drive, in Mandan. Visitation will continue on Saturday, one hour prior to time of service at the church.

Violet was born on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1920 to Reinhold & Marie (Braun) Sackman. She was educated in the Turtle Lake School system and graduated from Turtle Lake High School in 1938. She received her teaching certificate and began teaching at a rural school near Coleharbor, ND in 1941. She later studied at Minot State and Dickinson State College, where she received her Bachelor of the Arts degree. Violet taught students for over three decades. She took great pride in teaching and was good at it.

Violet married Merlin Nelson in June 1944. They raised one son, Paul. She was good at that as well. Her kindness carried forward, all her life, to the people she touched.

Survivors include her son, Paul Nelson of Bismarck; two sisters, Alice (Jack) Wiese of Bismarck, and Janice Syverson of Florida; and two sisters-in-law, Ruth Nathan of Turtle Lake, and Mary Ann Nelson of Wisconsin.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband (in 2016), her parents-in-law (Marcus & Edith Nelson), two sisters (Helen & Frances), one brother (Bert), eleven brothers-in-law (Sievert, Mel, Clarence, Orval, Richard, Wally, Neil, Irv, Milt, Donnie, and Bob), seven sisters-in-law (Shirley, Blanche, Dorothy, Fran, Eunice, Virginia, and Maureen).

The family expresses our sincere thanks to those who cared for her at the Baptist Home for their hard work, skill, and compassion.

Safe journey Violet.