Shirley Marlene Nelson, 62, passed away on Monday, March 18, 2019, with her family at her side.
She was born in Bellingham on Nov. 29, 1956, to Robert and Janice (Vanderhage) VanDiest. Shirley grew up in a rural environment and never truly left it. She was raised in a loving family with six siblings. Family, church and hard work formed her personality. Life was never dull at the VanDiest residence. She became a registered nurse and spent a few of those years as the director of nursing in Sunnyside, Washington. Shirley continued her nursing career in Mount Vernon.
On Feb. 14, 1992, Shirley married William Nelson. Together they attended Faith Community Fellowship in Mount Vernon. Shirley was loved and respected by all who knew her. After surviving cancer in 2000, it returned as metastatic breast cancer. For four more years, Shirley bravely endured the disease with the utmost faith and grace. Shirley’s spirit and example of love and generosity will be with us all forever. Family, flowers, birds, traveling and love of the water was her life. God has her in his arms.
Shirley leaves behind her husband of 27 years, William; her father and mother, Robert and Janice VanDiest of Sumas; siblings Valerie (Gerald) Tremelling of Atlantic City, Wyoming, Karen (Mark) Smith of Ferndale, Diane (Mike) Button of Bellingham, Ken VanDiest of Lynden, Christine (Scott) Cline of Lynden, Laurie (Ginger) Goble-VanDiest of Seattle; daughters Darlene (Rusty) Brooks of Moses Lake, Shelley (Rick) Holt of Cheney; granddaughters Cara (Jon) Jeffreys of Spokane and Kellee Neal of Spokane; grandsons Brady Neal of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Quinn (Janae) Holt of Spokane, Koby Holt of Cheney, Evan Brooks of Camp Lemonier Naval Base, Djibouti, Africa, Josh Brooks of Coeur d’Alene; great-grandchildren Colton and Maddox Jeffreys; and numerous relatives and friends that Shirley loved dearly.
We say a huge thank-you to all of the doctors and nurses at Skagit Regional Health. Shirley loved and respected Dr. George Gjerset, Dr. Kiarash Kojouri and nurses Nancy and Bonnie. Their compassion and professional nature sustained Shirley and her family through this difficult time.
A celebration of Shirley’s life will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 30, in Faith Community Fellowship, 1427 Monte Vista Dr., Mount Vernon. A graveside service follows in Fir-Conway Lutheran Cemetery, 19084 Milltown Rd., Mount Vernon.
Please consider giving memorials to Faith Community Fellowship, 360-428-4661, http://faithcommunityfellowship.org/; or Hospice of the Northwest, 360-814-5550, https://www.hospicenw.org/.
You may share your memories of Shirley with her family online at www.kernfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements are in the care of Kern Funeral Home of Mount Vernon.
