Elizabeth J."Bette" Nelson

Elizabeth J. “Bette” Nelson, age 91, passed away on January 22, 2018, at her residence. She was born December 27, 1926, in Miami, FL, and retired from the Department of Human Services in Iuka. She was an active member in the Iuka Methodist Church and served many years on various committees for the church, sang in the choir for 40 years, and at various times was president, secretary, and treasurer of the United Methodist Women. Bette was interested in public libraries; having served as the state trustee on the Board of the Mississippi Library Association, and as a committee member helping to write the trustee manual and the standards for public libraries for the Mississippi Library Commission. She received the outstanding achievement award from the Mississippi Library Association at the 1988 State Convention. Mrs. Nelson served on the Resolutions Committee of the Mississippi Conference on Libraries and Information Services, and was selected by caucus to represent Mississippi at the National Library Conference in Washington, DC in 1991. She was chairman of the Iuka Board of Trustees, chairman of the Building Committee to Enlarge the Iuka Library, was appointed by the Tishomingo County Board of Supervisors as Public Libraries Trustee for Tishomingo County to serve on the Northeast Regional Library Board, and was an active member of the Friends of the Iuka Public Library. She was a volunteer at the Iuka Library, working one day a week for 25 years. Mrs. Nelson was a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Ohio. Survivors include two sons, Jim Nelson of Santa Ana, CA, and Bob Nelson of Iuka, MS; five grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren; and a sister, Dorothy Ansley of Kansas City, MO. She was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Colonel O.C. Nelson; a son, Dr. Gary Nelson; her parents, George and Grace Switzer; and two brothers. Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., Thursday, January 25, 2018, at the Iuka United Methodist Church, with a Celebration of Life Service to follow, officiated by Rev. Kerry Powell and Rev. J.B. Burns. Burial will take place in the Oak Grove Cemetery. Cutshall Funeral Home of Iuka, MS is entrusted with arrangements. Pallbearers include Billy Gurley, Dr. Scott Segars, Mark Segars, Eddie Thomas, Frank Thomas, and John Castleberry. Honorary pallbearers include Dr. Kelly Segars and Martha Segars, Charles Sweeney, the Board Members of the Friends of Iuka Library, and the Friday Bridge Club. Memorials may be made to the Iuka Public Library or the Iuka United Methodist Church Choir. An online guest book may be accessed at www.cutshallfuneralhome.com.