Lorene C. Nelson

Lorene Catherine Nelson passed away on Wednesday, November 25th at University Medical Center in Denver, of complications following back surgery.
Lorene was born in Clay Center, Kansas on December 6th to parents Thomas & Loretta Crimmins. She attended school in Green, Kansas and graduated from Clay City High School in the class of 1960.
She enrolled in the nursing program at Mercy Hospital in Denver and graduated in 1963 with a registered nursing degree. Her first assignment was in Sterling, Colorado. Here she met Robert Nelson and they were married on July 25, 1964 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Peetz, Colorado.
The couple moved to Pavillion, Wyoming where she served as the school nurse. In 1969, they moved to Denver and she worked for 4 years as a cardiac care nurse. In 1973, Lorene moved to Rocky Ford, Colorado and worked as a school nurse in the Fowler and Manzanola Schools. Later she took over as the head of nursing for the Otero County Health Department where served until retirement in 2008.
She was preceded in death by her father Thomas and mother Loretta Crimmins. She was also preceded in death by brother Thomas Crimmins, and sisters Margaret Wurtz and Evelyn Malone and father and mother in-laws Melvin and Dolores Nelson. She is survived by her husband Bob of 57 years, brother Joe Crimmins, sister-in-law Sandra Crimmins and brother-in-law Chuck Malone.
Bob and Lorene are parents of Gregg (Nancy) Nelson of Delaware, Ohio, Jon (Lisa) Nelson of Oak Hill, Virginia and Ann Nelson of Kearney, Missouri. She is a proud grandmother of Nicole, Nathan, Samantha, Tristan, Daniel and Drew Nelson. She is also survived by brothers-in-law Richard (Jan) Nelson of Lakewood, Colorado, Ron (Christy) Nelson of Peetz, Colorado and sisters-in law Donna Applehans and Bonnie (Keith) Dallegge, both of Sterling Colorado, and 12 nieces and nephews, 23 great nieces and nephews and 3 great, great nieces and nephews on the Nelson side and 16 nieces and nephews, 50 great nieces and nephews and 64 great, great nieces and nephews on the Crimmins side.
Lorene was a warm and caring person with a lot of interest in young people. Her favorite pastimes were traveling in the United States and abroad and wintering in Arizona. She loved playing bridge, working on Facebook and reading. She was a devoted fan of her local school sports teams and the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies.
She and her husband (Bob) of 57 years were dedicated, civic minded residents of Rocky Ford. She served on the Rocky Ford School Board for 4 years, the Otero Junior College Board for 8 years, and the Cottonwood Assistant Living board. She served for 30 years as the league president for the Babe Ruth Youth Baseball program.
A memorial service to be announced at a later date. Burial will be a family event at the La Veta, Colorado Cemetery, surrounded by her beloved mountains. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lorene's name to St. Peters Catholic Church 1209 Swink Ave, Rocky Ford, Colorado, 81067.