Rosa Belle Nelson

Rosa Belle Nelson, age 99, passed away peacefully on December 24, 2010 at the Ottawa County Health Center in Minneapolis, KS.Rosa Belle lived most of her life in the home near Culver where she was born on December 10, 1911 to Annie Belle and George Clinton Hinkle. From the time she was a little girl, Rosa Belle knew she wanted to be a teacher. Upon graduation from Culver High School in 1929, she taught for 12 years in a series of one-room country schools including Sleepy Hollow, Twin Mound and Stimmel. She married Carl August Nelson in 1941. Farming was their life through the good and the lean years. Once their children were in college, she worked as an aide at the Crest View Nursing Home south of Bennington. When they retired, they enjoyed travelling to visit their children. Rosa Belle was an active member of the Culver United Methodist Church, where she served as superintendent of the Sunday School and was a member of the Communion Committee and the United Methodist Women. Rosa Belle enjoyed regular family gatherings with her many nieces, nephews and their children. Her angel food cakes and peanut brittle were family favorites. Rosa Belle was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her three brothers -- William, Carlton and Birchard. She is survived by her son, Carl W. Nelson and his wife Pat of Newark, DE, her daughter, Candace Skinner of Norfolk, VA. and her grandson Chad of Newark, DE. The family wants to thank Joyce Marrs, Jeff and Darcie Scheele and their daughters Brittany and Marissa, Linda Tucker and Pauline and John Brundgardt and their children (Valerie, Justin, Judd, Jason and their families) for their support and care for Rosa Belle over the years. A brief graveside Commitment Service will be held on January 5, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. in Roselawn Memorial Cemetery in Salina. Mrs. Nelson will be available for viewing at Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home from 9am-5pm, Monday and Tuesday. A memorial service celebrating Rosa Belle's life is also planned for Saturday, June 11, 2011. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Culver United Methodist Church, PO Box 177, Tescott, KS 67484.