Anne Elizabeth Nelson

Anne Elizabeth Nelson

July 29, 1941 – December 20, 2022

Funeral Service: Thursday, December 29, 2022, 10:30 a.m. at Saint John Lutheran Church, 633 Willow Avenue, Council Bluffs, IA 51501.

To view a live broadcast of the service, go to www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “View Live Cast” button at the top of the homepage.

Celebration of Life Reception: Thursday, December 29, 2022, 1:00 p.m. at Omaha Country Club, 6900 Country Club Road, Omaha, NE 68152.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Council Bluffs Public Library Foundation, 400 Willow Ave, Co Bluffs, IA 51503; Children’s Square USA, 520 N 7th Str, Co Bluffs, IA 51503 and the Arthritis Foundation of Nebraska, 10846 Old Mill Rd, #1, Omaha, NE 68154.

Anne Elizabeth (Tucker) Nelson, age 81, passed away on December 20, 2022, at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital.

Anne was born at Mitchell Field AFB, Long Island, NY, on July 29, 1941, to Captain James E. and Marjorie G. Moershell Tucker. Anne’s father was a pilot in the Regular Army Air Force and was killed in action over France in 1944. In 1948, her mother married Richard J. Garwood. Anne grew up in the Minneapolis, MN, area. She graduated from Carleton College, Northfield, MN, in 1963 and taught high school English and French at Minnetonka High School in MN and Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs. Anne and John Phillip Nelson met during college at Carleton, where they were both students. They were married on June 19, 1965, and made their home in Council Bluffs.

Anne served on many boards and committees, including All Our Kids, American Heart Association-NE, The Omaha Symphony, Ballet Omaha, Omaha Community Playhouse, Joslyn Art Museum, Literacy Center for the Midlands, National Conference for Community Justice, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Jennie Edmundson Hospital Auxiliary, Philanthropic Educational Association, Midlands Humane Society, Duchesne Academy, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, The Durham Museum, Friends of the Council Bluffs Library, Children’s Square USA, PEO, Historic General Dodge House, Council Bluffs Service League, Council Bluffs Senior Center, Ak-Sar-Ben Circle, United Way of the Midlands and Children’s Hospital Foundation.

She and John were well known in the Metro area and chaired numerous charitable events. Anne was named the Arthritis Foundation Nebraska Chapter Woman of the Year in 2008. In 2016, she received the Lewis Central Hall of Fame Staff award. She was also a recipient of the Sertoma Club Outstanding Humanitarian Award, the Iowa Western Community College Investment in Excellence Award in 2003, and the Omaha Symphony Dick and Mary Holland Leadership Award in 2018. Anne and John have been generous contributors to many projects in the area; including the 2021 opening of The Anne Elizabeth Nelson Women and Newborn Center at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital; the Anne and John P. Nelson Gallery and Exhibition Floor at PACE Arts Center; the Nelson Family Cottage at Children’s Square USA and the Nelson Teacher Resource Center at Joslyn Art Museum. She was instrumental in the formation of the Nelson Family Foundation Excellence in Teaching Award which recognizes outstanding teachers and counselors in our area.

Anne and John were avid travelers, readers and golfers. She also enjoyed tennis and was a needle pointer extraordinaire. They enjoyed spending summers with family and friends at their lake home in Minnesota. Anne was the consummate hostess for gatherings with family and friends.

Anne was preceded in death by her parents, her stepfather; Godparents, Elinor and Randolph Guggenheimer; and her sister-in-law, Judith Nelson.

She is survived by her loving husband, John P.; children: John H. (Susie) Nelson, Katherine (Robert Lyon) Nelson, and Mary “Molly” (Matthew) Leonetti, Jr.; grandchildren: Jack Staker, Ellie Staker, Charlie Nelson, Grace Nelson, Ansley Nelson, Matthew Leonetti III, and Annie Leonetti; brothers James L. (Mary Ann) Tucker II and Richard J. (Allison) Garwood, Jr., brother-in-law, Stephen H. Nelson, Sr.; as well as, five nephews, other relatives, and numerous friends.