Gloria May Christofferson Nelson

NELSON, MRS. GLORIA MAY Muskegon, MI Mrs. Gloria May Nelson, age 82, died Thursday, June 26, 2003. She was born in Chicago, IL on May 12, 1921 to Charles L. Christofferson & Anna S. Nelson & graduated from Steinmetz High School where she was fourth out of a class of 439. She married C. David Nelson on April 23, 1940. Gloria became a homemaker & a home builder. She & Dave cleared property, took the logs to a mill & built their home. They had six children & she was supportive of all her children's school activities, part time jobs & extra curricular events. She made sure all the children had music lessons, as she loved music & could sing a song for every occasion. Gloria worked hard to make ends meet & was a wise steward in the many roles she had. She was known everywhere as a fantastic cook. She would say she just did ''plain cooking.'' Her apple pies & hand dipped chocolates are legendary. At one time she could bake 24 pies a day for bake sales. She also could sew, knit, quilt, tat, crochet, write poetry, play the piano, draw, sketch, write music & plays, decorate, paint & take care of a large yard full of flowers. After David retired, they served an 18 month mission for their church, relocating to Long Beach, CA during that time. They helped many, many Cambodian refugees to start a new life in America after much suffering in their own country. Gloria was a founding member of the North Muskegon Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, established here in 1941. She held every position available in the women's organization, plus working with the young women & children's groups. She did genealogy work to research her family history. She worked very hard in a catering group to raise money to construct the current church building. In her later years she was involved with her community & took a keen interest in changes & plans affecting her neighborhood. She learned how to square dance, took up walking & really looked forward to being with her friends each morning. She enjoyed solving crossword puzzles & always watched ''Jeopardy'' & ''Wheel of Fortune'' in the evenings. She looked forward to family reunions & was a great letter writer & journal keeper. Gloria was a wise, loving, & compassionate wife, mother, & grandmother, & a loyal & generous friend. She lived a life of selfless service. We know she is with her Heavenly Father, as well as her husband, parents & brother. We know she will arise in the first resurrection & become the perfect person she tried so much to be during her sojourn here on earth. We will miss her wise counsel but will hold her in our hearts & minds forever. SURVIVORS Children, Kenneth R. Nelson, Diana David Jones, Lawrence Elka Nelson, Douglas Patricia Nelson, Melody Wayne Walden & Christina M. Nelson; grandchildren, Elizabeth Dan Soelberg, Andrea Mat Wehner, Jeremy Amanda Nelson, Shelley Nelson, Lorilyn Nelson, Heather Brandon Snyder, Stacie Nelson, Christopher Walden & Patrick Walden; great grandchild, Jadon Nelson; sister, Lucille Kohnhorst of Santa Cruz, CA. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband David & by a brother, Elwood Christofferson. SERVICE Monday, June 30, 2003, 11:00 AM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1725 W. Giles Rd. with Bishop John E. Viraldo officiating. Interment at Laketon Township Cemetery. VISITATION Sunday, 6-8 PM at Clock Funeral Home & Monday, one hour prior to the services at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. MEMORIAL: Primary Children's Medical Center Foundation, P.O. Box 58249, Salt Lake City, UT 84158-0249. Clock - Muskegon www.clockfuneralhome.com