Seeley Swan to Welcome

Hundreds Attend Cliff Nelson Memorial Service

Over 1,000 students and adults attended a special Memorial Service fo their beloved teacher, Cliff Nelson. Most of his family journeyed over 1,000 miles to speak to Cliff Nelson's Seeley Lake, Montana, Community. Below is the text of a eulogy by Cliff's sister.

Cliff - Our Brother

by Elaine Anderson, Cliff's Sister
(read by Hillary and Brenda, Cliff's nieces at Memorial Service)

We, Cliff's "North Dakota" family, cannot express in words the loss of this gentle, quiet brother. We want to thank you, his Montana family, for the years of friendship.

Cliff was back home to Forman the last weekend in July to help celebrate our Mom's 84th birthday. Over 50 of us in her immediate family gathered at Silver Lake for a picnic. Cliff, in his quiet manner, made personal contact with each one from Mom down to my two month old grandson. Only three nieces weren't able to attend and enjoy our last visit with Cliff.

I remember the day Cliff was born. The family was in shock that day, as our Dad's 44 year old brother had died unexpectedly the day before, leaving six small children. Cliff was named after an uncle of ours from Illinois who had no sons.

Cliff was number seven of eight children. There are six of us here today, along with some of our families, but Mom and the others who couldn't make the 1100 mile trip are with us in prayer and thoughts.

Cliff was the only one of us "Nelson kyds" to attend college and he was just short of his Ph.D. (we think). Otherwise, he was like us in these ways -

-We all attended a rural two-room school, Rutland Consolidated, five or six miles from Forman.
-We all graduated from high school out of Forman.
-We attended Vacation Bible School at a rural church next to our farm.
-We all lived in a small three bedroom farm home, raised by a mom and dad who provided us with the things that were important - love, respect, a freedom to enjoy whatever age we were, but the knowledge we were responsible for our actions.

We, also, found it difficult to converse with Cliff person to person, but he and I could freely discuss over the phone our good times and our troubled times. He'd tell me his concerns for some of his friends out here and I'd discuss concerns of my family. What a listener he was!

I talked to him about ten days ago, and he was undecided about his usual trip back home over Teachers' Convention. He'd devote these days to his mother. How she'll miss this loving son! Mom now lives in a nursing home.

Cliff's family includes three sisters: Elaine (and Neil) Anderson of Forman, Mavis (and George) Morgan of Ottertail, MN, Joyce (and Tom) Nichols of Elk River, MN; and four brothers, Orville (and Lila), Larry, better known as "Doc" (and Dawn), LeRoy, better known as "Turk" (and Ann), and Dennis (and Ginger), all of Forman; along with 16 nieces and seven nephews and their families.
Cliff's body is being flown home to the prairies of North Dakota. A Memorial Service will be held at Trinity Lutheran in Forman on Saturday. He will be buried beside his Dad in a little cemetery next to the farm on which he grew up.

Let's remember Cliff's life and continue our lives in peace. Thanks for loving "lovable Cliff" - your Mr. Nelson.

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