Louise Nicholson Voelker's Obituary
Louise Nicholson Voelker, 1930-2019
In loving memory of Louise Nicholson Voelker, of Tucson, who followed her husband into God’s grace on March 12, 2019, after a short illness. She is survived by her daughter Elaine (and husband Chris) Conway of Lille, France; her daughter Ruth (and husband John) Curtis of Tucson, her granddaughters Lisa Pharis, Charlene Campbell, Michelle Curtis, and Dana Demos-Curtis, and her great grandsons Logan Pharis and Mason and Domonic Campbell.
Evelyn Louise Nicholson’s travels began when she was born in Wink, Texas, on December 30, 1930. Her parents were en route to the new town of Boulder City, Nevada, where her father found work as a machinist at Hoover Dam. After the dam was completed, the family moved to Oregon, but returned to Boulder City in 1939. Louise loved to spend time in the deserts and forests of the Southwest, so it was natural that after her graduation from Boulder City High School in 1948, she went to work for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. In early 1951, she met Ed Voelker in her church youth group. She was not slow to fall in love with the tall young man who shared her love of wilderness, worked for the USGS, and appreciated classical music. The two married six months later, in September 1951. Her primary life’s work was raising her two daughters, but she also worked from time to time in various capacities for the U.S. Government, generally the Forest Service, or else as a secretary for her local church. She traveled widely with Ed, and they moved often. She was adept at making each house into a home, whether in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, or Colorado. When Ed retired, he and Louise moved to Prescott, Arizona, and enjoyed 25 years of friends and their church family at Trinity Presbyterian. In 2014, they moved into the Fountains in Tucson in order to be near their family.
Louise enjoyed her family, camping, hiking, square dancing, and the company of her many friends from church. In addition to her professional and volunteer activities in the church offices, she attended services regularly and sang in the church choir.
Donations to honor her memory may be sent to the Music Department of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Prescott. Memorial services will be held in Tucson and in Prescott; burial will be in the Flagstaff Citizens’ Cemetery.
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