Jeannine Rae Nelson

Jeannine R. Nelson, age 93, died Friday, October 27, 2023, at Maplewood of Sauk Prairie. She was born April 30, 1930, in Spencer, Iowa. She was the daughter of George and Neva Albert.

Jeannine’s family moved to Argyle when she was 13, and she lived there her entire life. She married her high school sweetheart, Yug Nelson, on March 3, 1950. Yug died in 1994 on their 44th wedding anniversary. Jeannine is also preceded in death by her brother, Duane Albert, and sister-in-law, Grayce Albert. Jeannine is survived by her 3 children, Steven of Argyle; Gretchen (Cliff Ransom) of Sebastopol, California; and Brian (Lori Lee) of Mazomanie.

Jeannine enjoyed her job as a dental assistant for Dr. Joe Ganshert in Monroe for 25 years. She was popular with the patients and helped make them feel at ease. She was also hostess on weekends at the Norseman Supper Club for several years after it opened in 1971. After retiring from the dental office in 1995, Jeannine began to spend several weeks every year in San Francisco visiting Gretchen and Cliff. She embraced her adopted city and made many friends who looked forward to her annual visits. Jeannine worked at Gretchen’s quilt shop, Black Cat Quilts, in San Francisco. She was popular with Gretchen’s customers and housesat for many of them.

Jeannine was a very talented quilter and was active in the quilting group at Argyle Lutheran Church. She had an eye for color and her quilts were a beautiful expression of her creativity. She loved going to quilt shops and quilt shows with her friends. She went to shows throughout the U.S., including Houston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Providence with her friend Mary Lou Crow, who was also an avid quilter. Mary Lou was Jeannine’s first friend after her family moved to Argyle, and they remained lifelong best friends.

Jeannine and Yug liked to go antiquing and collected many wonderful pieces, including a beautiful collection of cut glass. After Yug died, Jeannine continued to visit antique shops with her brother-in-law, Bruce, who shared her passion for beautiful glassware and furniture.

Jeannine loved spending time with friends and family. One of her favorite activities was to go with them to the Norseman (now Corner Pub) for a glass of chardonnay. She especially liked to go on Friday nights because that’s when her favorite bartender, Nate, was working.

The family would like to thank the staff at Maplewood for the wonderful care they gave Jeannine the past year.