Viola Mathilda Nelson

Viola was born on December 18, 1922, in Granville, IA to August Kreber and Clara (Gukeisen) Kreber. She attended St. Joseph grade school in Granville, and graduated from St. Mary's high school in Remsen. Her father passed away in 1935, and Vi helped her mother and siblings on their farm near Granville and remembered filling bottles with milk and delivering them to customers in town. After high school graduation she worked in Sioux City and was working at Sweezy's hamburger shop in Cherokee when she met her future husband, Elmer, at a dance. Elmer and Viola were married on Monday morning November 22, 1948, at 9:00 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, Cherokee. They settled on a farm east of Larrabee, IA until 1963, when they purchased a farm east of Sheldon, IA. In 1970, they retired from farming and moved into town in Sheldon where they lived until l973 when they purchased a house in Cherokee. After moving into Sheldon, Vi worked in the kitchen at Coxie's restaurant, after moving to Cherokee she worked as a cook at the Barrel Drive-In and then for many years worked as a kitchen aid at Hilltop Care Center.

Vi was a member of Immaculate Conception Parish and I. C. Ladies Union, working at many funeral dinners, and also Catholic Daughters. She loved reading, playing cards and games (especially the card game 500) playing in several 500 card groups in recent years, as well as with her children and grandchildren. She also enjoyed flower gardening, embroidery work, baking, watching baseball on TV, but most of all spending time with her family.

Vi is survived by her four children, Linda (Joe) Kelly, Sioux Falls, SD, Fred (Colleen) Nelson, Riverton WY, Diane (Tim) Cargin, Cherokee IA, and Sandra (Dwight) Berens, Apache Junction AZ, six grandchildren, Shari Kelly Graham, Amy Kelly, Cole Nelson, Greg (Renae) Cargin, Kristin Cargin and Luke (Wanda) Naslund, and six great-grandchildren, Ava Kelly, Austin and Devin Cargin and Micah, Lena, and Nellie Vi Naslund. She was preceded in death by her husband, Elmer, in 1984, an infant son, Thomas Lee Nelson, five sisters and their husbands, Irene (Ed) Schlichte, Evelyn (Henry) Klein, Helen (Urban) Holles, Eleanor Britton, Mary Jane (Richard) Meis, six brothers and their wives, Arnold (Lorraine) Kreber, Clarence (Hilda) Kreber, and Francis (Janet) Kreber.

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