Ernest Nelson Family ` Gena 1892-1986 & Ernest 1890 – 1975
Gena Marie Tweeten Nelson was born November 17, 1892, to Bendick and Olava (Hovland) Tweeten in their Mt. Valley Township home. She married Ernest Paul Nelson, he was born July 5, 1890, at the Mt. Valley home of his parents, Gust and Anna Nelson. Both Gena and Ernest attended the rural schools in Mt. Valley. Ernest also attended Waldorf Academy in Forest City. Ernest and Gena were married March 27, 1914, at her parents’ home. They farmed in Mt. Valley until 1958, when they retired, they purchased a home and moved to Forest City. They were both baptized and confirmed at Winnebago Lutheran Church and became members of Immanuel Lutheran Church after moving to Forest City.
Ernest represented the southeast section of Winnebago County on the Board of Supervisors from 1940, until 1958. In addition, he was Mt. Valley Township Trustee for more than 15 years and was Director of Mt. Valley School District #237 for many years and was a long-time Secretary of the Citizens Mutual Telephone Company which served the rural Mt. Valley area. More recently he was in his 16th year as one of the County Inheritance Tax Appraisers.
Gena was a good seamstress and took special training for it. She sewed for several families and would go and stay for days at a time with different people and sew for them before her marriage to Ernest.
Ernest passed away early New Years morning 1975, at the Forest City Municipal Hospital. He was 84 years old. Gena passed away September 21, 1986, at the Forest City Municipal Hospital at the age of 93 years and 10 months and 18 days. They are buried at Winnebago Lutheran Church Cemetery. They have three children:
A. Gordon Perry Nelson was born May 16, 1918, at his parents’ home in Mt. Valley Township. Gordon and Orla Holstad were married in 1948. At that time Gordon was attending the University of Denver, following army service during World War. Then, until Gordon’s graduation in 1949, Orla obtained employment at Denver’s Stapleton Airport. In September 1949, they moved to Minneapolis, where Gordon enrolled at the University of Minnesota and Orla worked in the office of an automobile agency.
Following the outbreak of the Korean War, Gordon was recalled to active duty (Air Force) and assigned to an organization responsible for the development of advanced flight equipment at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. During this assignment their two sons were born, Steven in 1954, and Gregory in 1959.
Also during this period, Gordon continued his education, graduating with a Master’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. In January 1959, Gordon received orders for a transfer to the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division in Los Angeles. The family moved to California in March 1959, when Gregory was only three weeks old. During the summer of 1964, Gordon and family moved to Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles. Here he was associated with the test firings of the Titan III stage I rockets and later with the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory. The family lived in base housing and the boys attended school on the Base. Gordon was promoted to Lt. Col. in September 1966. On September 30, 1969, Gordon retired from the Air Force and later the family moved back to their farm near Joice. The family considers one of their most memorable experiences was a three month tour of Europe in 1972, and a trip to Hawaii for Gordon and Orla. They have two sons:
a. Steven Paul Nelson was born September 28, 1954, at Dayton, Ohio. He married Rachael Straks, December 5, 1979. attended the University of Iowa and now works for an insurance agency in Forest City.
b. Gregory Alen Nelson was born February 11, 1959, at Dayton, Ohio. He married Dorothy Grimmenga, May 10, 1986. Gregory attended the University of Iowa and is employed by a high tech company in Denver, Colorado, where they live.
B. Kenton Maynard Nelson was born March 25, 1920, at his parents home in Mt. Valley. He married Loretta Peterson of Northwood, Iowa, June 11, 1944. They farm in Winnebago County. They have three children:
a. Robert Paul Nelson was born April 12, 1945, at Forest City. He married Vicky Dorman, July 30, 1966. They live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, area.
b. David John Nelson was born April 23, 1947, at Forest City, Iowa.
c. Jean Patrica Nelson Redig was born October 30, 1950, at Forest City, Iowa. She married Joseph Redig, October 9, 1975. They live near Forest City. They have two children:
C. Lester Revere Nelson was born April 14, 1927, at his parents’ home in Mt. Valley. He married Marjorie Muskarina of Mason City, Iowa, December 18, 1955. They farm and live on Lester’s home place where Ernest and Gena raised their family. They have three children:
a. Michael Paul Nelson was born July 16, 1956. He married Inga Larson of Austin, Minnesota, May 23, 1981. They are farmers.
b. Paul Michael Nelson was born August 31, 1957, at Forest City. He farms the home place with his father, Lester.
c. Debra Ann Nelson was born August 26, 1958, at Forest City, Iowa. She is a nurse in the Minneapolis, St. Paul, area.