Ruth Neilson

Hastings resident, Ruth Pauline (Norton) Neilson, 94, passed away Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at Perkins Pavilion Good Samaritan Society-Hastings Village, Hastings, Nebraska.

Services will be Saturday, May 21, 2011; 10:30 A.M. at Butler Volland Chapel, Hastings with Pastor Charles Johnson officiating. Private family burial will be at a later date. A memorial fund will be established. Visitation will be Friday, May 20, 2011; 1:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. and Saturday 9:00 A.M. until service at the funeral home.

Ruth was born January 14, 1917 in Hastings to Ernest & Iva (Motley) Norton. She grew up on farms east of Hastings, attending rural schools and graduating from Hastings High School in 1934. The family moved to Buffalo County where Ruth worked at several jobs, including the County Court and County Assistance offices. In 1947, she moved to Los Angeles, California and married John A. Neilson on February 18, 1948. They initially lived in Hollywood and then built a home in Burbank. A son, David, was born in 1952. The family moved to Lincoln in 1961 and returned to California in 1962, settling in San Jose, where Ruth lived until returning to Hastings in December 2001. She lived at the Kensington until moving to Perkins Pavilion in 2009. She was a housewife and stay-at-home mother involved in various school and social activities, including PTA, Cub Scouts and Little League. She was a member of Calvary United Methodist Church in San Jose and volunteered in the office. She took up china painting around 1970 and enjoyed many years of painting with a group of friends. Ruth and John also enjoyed traveling with a local tour group until his death on August 21, 1981. She and a friend continued traveling together for a number of years and she made trips to Hastings to visit family and friends.

Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and two sisters.

Survivors include:
Son & Daughter-in-law: Dave & Rita Neilson - Hastings, NE
Grandson: Brian Neilson - Hastings, NE