Shirley Nelson, daughter of Peter and Lydia (Faaborg) Rasmussen, was born on November 26, 1937 in Audubon County, Iowa, the youngest of three children. She graduated from Audubon High School in 1956. After graduation she worked as a telephone operator at Northwestern Bell in Audubon. She later moved to Atlantic to work at Atlantic Wholesale Company, where she lived with her Aunt Stine and Uncle Martin.
In 1956, Shirley met Martin Nelson, who she married in August of 1957 at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kimballton, Iowa. The church has the chandelier hanging yet that was hung when her Grandpa Johannes Faaborg helped build the church in 1875. It is beautiful at night when it is lit. It was electrified in the later years.
Some of Shirley and Martin’s early married years were not easy as they were just starting out. They didn’t have much but those were their best days when their three children were small and growing up. Their oldest son, Dean Jerome, was born December 1957; second son, Bruce Anthony, was born April 1961, and their only daughter and last child, Brenda Sue, was born February 1966. They had a lot of good times together. They milked cows and raised hogs and chickens.
In 1972, Shirley and Martin purchased a 160 acre farm three miles west of Elk Horn, Iowa. The house on the farm had been built in 1964 and had nice out buildings. Together they enjoyed traveling. The two traveled extensively all over the United States. Shirley even made it to Europe on two separate occasions. They wintered 5 seasons down in Texas. Shirley spent over 55 years as a sales representative for Avon and 20 years as a travel agent. She also spent time working for Salem Lutheran Home as a nurse’s aid and in the Alzheimer’s unit. She did all of this while also juggling life on the farm with Martin. In Shirley’s free time, she loved to go shopping at Von Maur. In the early 80’s Shirley, Harriet, Irene & cousin Alice together created the Faaborg Family history book and were instrumental in organizing an over 100 participant family reunion every 2-5 years.
Shirley passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa, attaining the age of eighty-seven years, ten months, and twenty-six days. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister Irene Larsen.
Left to cherish Shirley’s memory is her husband of 68 years, Martin Nelson of Elk Horn, Iowa; children, Dean (Kathy) Nelson of Atlantic, Iowa; Bruce (Patty) Nelson of Atlantic, Iowa; Brenda Nelson (Tony Hough) of Elk Horn, Iowa; grandchildren, Stacey Platt, Misty Nelson, Casey Martin, Michael Nelson, Cammi Nelson, Dylan Nelson; 9 great grandchildren; sister, Harriet Campbell of Exira, Iowa; Danish exchange granddaughter, Johanne Lyager; other family members and friends.
