Anne Marie Nelson's Obituary
Anne Marie Nelson, a resident of Tucson since 1966, passed away peacefully on August 22, 2014 in Tucson. She was 77 years old. Anne Marie was born in Fredrikstad, Norway on May 1, 1937 to Olav Aarflot and Marie (Knudsen) Aarflot. After studying English and Norwegian at the University of Oslo and earning a Bachelor’s degree, Anne Marie married George William Nelson then of Mansfield, OH. She moved with George to Cleveland while he pursued his doctoral studies in engineering. Moving to Tucson in 1966 with her husband and three children (Lisa Anne Nelson, Marit Elisabeth Nelson, and Carl-Martin Nelson) Anne Marie and George added another son to the family (Hans-Erik Nelson) and later began studying for a degree in counseling completing a Master’s degree at the University of Arizona. Active in her church, she ministered to every congregation she was a member of with her witness to Christ and with the food she brought to church functions, the committees she served on and the relationships she built. Anne Marie served as the Executive Director of the Crisis Pregnancy Center (now Hands of Hope), a local non-profit supporting women in pregnancy. Anne Marie also helped found and served many leadership roles in the Tucson chapter of the Norseman’s Federation (now Norwegians Worldwide), an organization dedicated to preserving and teaching Norwegian language and culture.
Anything and anyone Anne Marie became involved with benefitted from her energy and enthusiasm. She catered fundraising dinners for Lutheran Campus Ministry, organized speakers and cultural events for the Norseman’s Federation, chaired committees at church, taught Norwegian at the University of Arizona, and supported arts organizations in Tucson. A patient and dedicated teacher, she taught Norwegian to many private students in Tucson, English to students in China, and Sunday School classes for many years. Of course she was also a teacher to her children and grandchildren: teaching us how to live and love and, in the end, how to die.
Anne Marie was predeceased by her husband, George in 1990, her sister Berta Kanutta (Aarflot) Øiestad in 1972. She is survived by her brother Andreas Aarflot of Oslo Norway, her children (and their spouses) Lisa Boyko (Ron) of Cleveland Heights, OH; Marit Meyer (Craig), of Olmsted Falls, OH; Carl-Martin Nelson (Martha) of Moorhead, MN; and Hans-Erik Nelson (Krista) of Mountain View, CA. Anne Marie is also survived by nine loving grandchildren: Erik Meyer, Martin Meyer, Jon-Erik Nelson, Hans Meyer, Hans-Kristof Nelson, Elisabeth Meyer, Annika Nelson, George Nelson, and Kaia Nelson.
A memorial service celebrating the life of Anne Marie will be held at Ascension Lutheran Church (1220 W Magee Road, Tucson, AZ 85704) on September 1st, 2014 at 10:00 AM. The service will be officiated by Pastors Dale Moe and David Drum and a reception will follow in the church hall. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends consider making gifts to the church community that embraced and supported her in her final years: Light the Way Lutheran Church (8611 N Silverbell Rd, Tucson, AZ 85743).
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