Elsie K. Nielsen

BLAIR — Elsie K. Nielsen, 91, Blair, died Sept. 1, 2018, at her home in Blair. Visitation was Sept. 5 at Campbell Aman Funeral Home, Blair. Funeral services were Sept. 6 at First Lutheran Church, Blair. Graveside services followed in the Blair Cemetery. Elsie Katherine Kastrup was born March 4, 1927, on a farm in Dixon County, to Edmund and Karen (Andersen) Kastrup. She was baptized Sept. 18, 1927, by Pastor A.N. Skanderup and confirmed July 14, 1940, by Pastor Knud Larsen, in the Danish Lutheran Church, Laurel. She graduated from Laurel High School in 1944, and received a teaching certificate from Dana College, Blair in 1945. She taught country school at Brewster School from 1945-1947, then at McCarthy School from 1947-1949. She married Lloyd J. Nielsen May 29, 1948, at the Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Laurel. They had four children, Ronald, Donald, David and Karen. They raised their family on the Nielsen family farm west of Blair. After the children were grown, she worked for Blair Schools as a paraprofessional in the reading room for 21 years. She loved her family and spending time with them. She enjoyed baking and cooking; and hosting a crowd to eat it all for her. She especially enjoyed entertaining and celebrating during the Christmas season. She enjoyed her flowers and working in the yard. Over the years, they always had a wealth of friends they spent time with. For many years they were part of a neighborhood card club where many hands were dealt, stories shared, and laughs had. She held her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in a special place in her heart. Her roles of grandmother and greatgrandmother were ones she filled with passion. She knew her best life’s work was in the family she created and nurtured through her years. She is preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd, May 20, 1999; her parents; brothers, Kai, Carlo, Thorkild, Leo and Robert; sisters-in-law, Mabel, Millie, Lorraine and Julie Kastrup; and sisters-in-law and spouses, Erma and Marlin Taylor, Roma and Bill Randall, and Darlene and Frank Gleeson. She is survived by her children, Ronald (Karen), Lincoln; Donald (Debra), Rosemount, Minn.; David (Nancy) and Karen (Bruce) Camenzind, all of Blair; 12 grandchildren, Anna (Dan) Janke, Norfolk, and their children, Noah and Evelyn; Marc (Nichole) Nielsen, Elko-New Market, Minn., and their children, Declan and Thork: Jason Nielsen, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Emily (Troy) Holm, Blair, and their children, Hayden, Barrett, Dalton, Justin, Kenny and David; Christy (Mitchell) Chappelear, Blair, and their children, Lavyn and Roman; Gretchen (Derek) Miller, Lincoln, and their children, Noah and Harvey; James (Aubrey) Nielsen, Blair, and their son, Gus; Carly Nielsen (Dane), Blair; Cody, Andrew, and Bryan Camenzind, all of Blair; and Kristy Brumback, Des Moines; sister, Ruth (Bob) Kenaley, Le Mars, Iowa; brother, Borge (Carol) Kastrup, Laurel; and sister-in-law, BonnaDel Kastrup, Sioux Falls, S.D.; and many loving nieces and nephews. Memorials may be directed to the Blair Rescue Squad, First Lutheran Church in Blair, the Blair Public Library or the organization of the donor’s choice.