Obituary of Aileen Elizabeth Nelson

Aileen Elizabeth Nelson, 93, passed away peacefully into the arms of her Savior on Wednesday, January 27, 2021. Born on January 17, 1928 in Sacramento, California to Stephen and Ida Beamer, Aileen was the youngest of three children, and the only girl. After graduating early from high school at 16, she went on to graduate from San Jose State with her teaching credential. In May of 1948, she married Robert Nelson. Together, they celebrated over 70 years of marriage. They spent most of their married life in San Jose, and there they had two children, Stephanie and Mark, who were the joy of their lives. As a family, they enjoyed summer camp at Mission Springs Conference Center in Scotts Valley and actively served in various positions at Alum Rock Covenant Church. Never one to rest on her laurels, after many years of substitute teaching, Aileen decided to return to college and earned a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Counseling. She spent the next few years utilizing her gifts of communication and wisdom in this capacity. In retirement Aileen and Bob moved to Mission Springs where she worked for several more years counseling children. This time was also spent exploring the country in their RV, traveling to Europe to visit past exchange students, relatives and friends, and delighting in their grandchildren. Additionally, Aileen developed a profound interest in the ministry of Compassion International, sponsored a child from Kenya, became a representative responsible for securing new sponsors and eventually, made the journey to Africa to meet her sponsored child in person. She was a force. After almost 18 years at Covenant Village Retirement Community in Turlock, California, Aileen and Bob relocated to Twin Falls, Idaho in 2017 to be closer to their children and grandchildren. The family considers this time spent with them to be the greatest blessing. Even as her dementia progressed, Aileen’s faith, fun-loving nature, and feistiness never waned. Through the cloud of confusion often came brief glimpses of the past, as she would spontaneously break into hymns and prayers. Her family cherished these moments and reminders of the mom they remembered. Aileen’s life was marked by an unwavering faith, a commitment to service and a devotion to family. Aileen was preceded in death by her husband, Bob. She is survived by her daughter Stephanie Lizardo and son-in-law, Jerry; son Mark Nelson and daughter-in-law Mary Kay; six grandchildren, Aaron, Alyssa, Adam, Emily, Jack and Sam; and three great-grandchildren, Grayson, Hudson and Chloe. Special thanks to the staff at Ashley Manor in Kimberly and Encompass Hospice for their tireless effort to lovingly care for our mother this past year. A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 5th, 2021 at Rosenau Funeral Home, 2826 Addison Avenue E, Twin Falls, Idaho at 11:00am. For those unable to attend, the service will be live-streamed. To access the link, visit her obituary page at www.rosenaufuneralhome.com or call Rosenau Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may made to Compassion International via their website Compassion.com.