Myrna ("Johnnye") Nelson (87) went to be with the Lord on Thur, Aug 3, after a two-year battle with cancer. She was born in Newman Grove, NE on Dec 22, 1929, but was raised in Albert Lea, MN, where her family settled when she was young. While a teenager, she and her mother moved to Sioux Falls, SD, where she met her future husband, William ("Bill") Nelson. After graduating from high school in Sioux Falls, she moved to NYC, NY to become a model. In 1951, she married Bill in Annapolis, MD, when he graduated from the Naval Academy and was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force. They subsequently had two children and were stationed at various bases. The Nelson family moved to Lompoc in 1968 when Bill was assigned to Vandenberg AFB. Sadly, he passed away from cancer in 1969 while still on active duty, but the family stayed in Lompoc where Johnnye was active in church activities at Lompoc's Valley Chapel. She also went back to school. First, she earned her AA degree from Allan Hancock College. In 1977, she relocated to MN where she earned her RN degree. She then practiced nursing for 28 years at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Albert Lea, retiring at the age of 78.
She is survived by: her daughter and son in law, Elizabeth and Philipp Waltert, who live in Marina del Rey; her son, The Rev. William B. Nelson, Jr., who is the Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lompoc; her two granddaughters and their husbands, Jennifer and Tim George (Long Beach), and Amanda and Ryan Stong (Monrovia).
A funeral service will be held at the First Baptist Church of Lompoc, 220 West Cypress Ave, on Wed, Aug 9, at 1:00 PM, after which there will be a brief graveside service at the Evergreen Cemetery of Lompoc, followed by a reception at the church.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Johnnye's memory to the First Baptist Church of Lompoc.