Carolyn N. Nelson

Carolyn N. Nelson, formerly of Union County, passed away Tuesday, May 6, 2025 in Camas, Washington at the age of 90.

A funeral was held on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration Center in La Grande. Dedication of the grave and interment followed at the Cove Cemetery.

My dearest family and friends, I’m Tanya, Carolyn’s second daughter, and at 70 years young, I stand before you today with a heart full of love, gratitude, and a lifetime of cherished memories. My mother, Carolyn Nadine Lloid Nelson, who we lost just 12 days shy of her 91st birthday, on May 6th, 2025, lived a life so rich, so full, and so impactful, it’s truly a joy to reflect upon it. A Childhood in Cove and a Spirit Unbroken. 

Mom was born on May 18th, 1934, in Cove, Oregon, the youngest of Vernon and Vera Lloid’s three children. She spoke so often of the happy times she spent with her Grandma DeGraw and Uncle Jake, truly loving them with all her heart. Even as a young girl, her brilliance shone through. She was a natural athlete. She had the nickname of Sadie because she won the Sadie Hawkins Day race for several years in a row. She pitched softball, played basketball and ran track until she contracted polio. She still was able to letter in Volleyball despite the polio. Her beautiful voice graced the stage in the girls’ chorus and also in operettas like Madame Butterfly when she had the lead role of Cherry Blossom. During her Senior year she was selected as the May Queen of Cove. She was the valedictorian of her 1952 class at Cove High School being the final Lloyd to graduate from Cove in 52 consecutive years, earning a full scholarship to the University of Oregon!

Love, Loss, and a New Chapter

Mom met my dad, Milton Bryan Gorham, through his uncle, whom she babysat for. They were introduced at a dance in Union, Oregon, and a beautiful love story began. They married on August 15th, 1952, and soon after, my older sister Tina was born in Baker City on May 28th, 1953. They built a beautiful life in North Powder; Mom was a homemaker while Dad worked as a logger and at the sawmill. I arrived on February 25th, 1955. Then, unexpectedly, Dad passed away on May 5th, 1957 of a heart attack. It was a difficult time, but Mom, with her incredible strength, relocated us to Seattle. In Seattle, Mom truly showcased her ingenuity. When we first arrived we slept in our car for a week until she was able to buy the Big White House. During her time in Seattle she was the owner of two houses and became a landlord of one, all while working for the telephone company and raising us girls. Her very first job was at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio where she was a dance partner, and she shared in her biography that it wasn’t her favorite job. We had such wonderful times there, especially with her dear friends Marge and Orville. We’d go to their farm in Puyallup, helping to raise chickens, pigs, and cows, and canning all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Canning became a huge part  of her life, a skill she mastered and loved sharing. In 1965, Mom decided to go back to school, attending ITT School of Business in downtown Seattle to complete a secretarial program. This led her to a job at Zellerbach Paper company. During this time, my Grandma Beulah Gorham came to live with us, helping to tend to Tina and me.

Faith, Family, and a Life of Service

It was also in 1965 that Mom’s faith was rekindled. Mom’s early religious life started at home with a Primary class taught by her mother in their home, as there was no local Ward or Branch in Cove and they had no car to drive the 10 miles into Union the closest Chapel. She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at age 14 by her brother’s best friend Jim Hill. She shared in her biography that she truly loved attending church as a teenager. Serendipitously, his family moved right up the road from us in Seattle, reconnecting Mom with her faith. She became a devout and firm believer in Jesus Christ and His gospel, serving in countless leadership roles and impacting so many lives through her dedication. Life took a beautiful turn when she met Jim Nelson while out dancing. Their connection quickly blossomed into love. Jim's interest in her faith led him to take the missionary discussions, culminating in his baptism in January 1966. Just a few months later, on March 4, 1966, they were married adding two sisters (Cindy and Janet) and a brother (Harold) to our family, which Tina and I were very excited about even though they lived in Aspen, Colorado. Their joy expanded a year later with the birth of their son, Mark Eric, on January 13, 1967. In June 1968, a profoundly significant event occurred when Mom, Jim, Tina, myself, and Mark journeyed to the Idaho Falls Temple to be sealed as a family. This moment held deep spiritual meaning for all of us, as family has always been such an important part of her life. In 1969, we moved to West Richland, a dry, desert and nothing like Seattle. It was a scorching 105 degrees the day we arrived! We even had a little adventure when the house we thought we’d bought fell through, leaving us without a place to live for a short time. We ended up living in a rental house on Cedar for a month. Our family continued to grow with the addition of Monique (April 8th, 1971), Vernessa (April 24th, 1973), and Colin (March 22nd, 1975). With nine siblings, we had truly become a Yours, Mine and Ours family. We had an acre and a quarter with fruit trees, a milk cow, chickens, and a huge garden. Mom took such pride in tending her family and our property. A Master of All Trades and a Loving Matriarch Mom was incredibly talented. She was skilled in quilting, macrame, broomstick lace, sewing clothes, tatting, and all sorts of fiber arts. She shared her knowledge generously through Relief Society at church, teaching skills like canning, fruit leather making, homemade butter, homemade bread with ground flour (eight loaves every week!), dehydrating, juicing, and jelly making. Nothing ever went to waste with Mom around! She even knew how to butcher and cure meat. This was her entire life, and she was truly fulfilled in her role as a homemaker and nurturer. After Colin was born, Mom opened an in-home daycare, and those children became another part of our family. This period also brought the arrival of her first set of grandchildren: Dutch, Leah, Arthur, and Adam. It was a neat and fun experience as these grandchildren grew up alongside their aunts and uncles. Mom was also incredibly devoted to her own parents. Her parents lived nearby in Umatilla, and she would visit them often. She loved her mom dearly. Around 1975, Mom started working as a teller at Bank of America, eventually working her way up to bank manager. During that time, she even served as a member of the City of West Richland Council! My mom truly was a force.

Retirement, Missions, and Ancestral Journeys

Once Mom and Jim became empty nesters, they retired and sold their family home in West Richland. They then embarked on an 18-month service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the genealogy library in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1996. They were both deeply involved in genealogy and loved helping others with this part of their lives. After their mission, they relocated to La Grande, Oregon, in 1998, where they were very active. They camped with the Good Sam's Club and family, continued indexing for their church, and served in various church callings. They even took a six-month trip all the way to the East Coast to visit friends and relatives from their mission. And in a truly special moment, they took a dream trip to Norway, Jim’s ancestral home, where they gathered more genealogy and had a wonderful time. Later in life, they moved to Kennewick, Washington, to be closer to family for support. Mom made new friends at their church, the Hansen Park Ward, and through their community at Desert Pines. Jim passed away on August 16th, 2021. Mom continued to reside in Kennewick until April 2024, when she moved to a private nursing facility in Camas, Washington, near my sister Monique, who lovingly cared for her until her passing.

A Beautiful Legacy

Mom was 90 years old, just 12 days short of her 91st birthday, when she passed. She impacted hundreds of people, traveled the world, and lived a truly beautiful and full life. She was preceded in death by her parents Vernon and Vera Lloyd, her sister Rhoda Marie Chollet, her brother Kermit Dee, her husband Jim Alan, grandson-in-law Travis Watts and her great-granddaughter Alice. She leaves behind an incredible legacy: her six children – Tina, myself (Tanya), Mark, Monique, Vernessa, and Colin – along with three step children, Cindy, Janet, and Harold. She is also survived by 25 grandchildren and 41 great-grandchildren, and counting! Mom was loved dearly, and we are all so incredibly grateful for her positive influence in our lives. Her strength, her faith, her endless talents, and her unwavering love shaped us all. She taught us how to work hard, to serve others, and to cherish family above all else. She was a true matriarch, a beacon of light, and an inspiration to us all. We will miss her every day, but her spirit, her love, and her incredible life will live on in each of us. Thank you, Mom, for everything.