Beverly (June) Scherer Nelson, 84, passed away at her home on October 22, 2020, after a several-month battle with lung cancer. She is survived by her loving husband of 63 years, Roy Nelson. The daughter of the late Helen and Nicholas Scherer, she was born and raised in Sycamore, Illinois.
Beverly graduated from Sycamore High School in 1954 and received her degree as a registered nurse from West Suburban Hospital in 1957. She worked at West Suburban until 1959 when she had her first child. She married Roy in 1957. They moved to Hartford from the Chicago area in 1960, and eventually settled in their home in West Hartford in 1969, where they raised three children (Sherri, Dawn, and Mark) and have remained since.
Cultivating family and relationships and caring for others were Bev’s highest callings. As a mother, she was a natural. Selfless by nature and generous with her time, her skills as a baker were legendary and she hosted countless celebrations for holidays, birthdays, and other events. She especially enjoyed being a grandmother to six grandchildren. She knitted numerous afghans for family members and was always willing to drop everything and come to help out. She was opinionated but never selfish, happy for others to be in the limelight, and most content when surrounded by family and friends.
A member of Grace Lutheran Church in Hartford for many years, Bev served on the Church Council for nine years and was president for three years. She belonged to the West Hartford Junior Women’s Club for 15 years. She was a Hospice volunteer for the VNA for 15 years. (And in the final weeks of her life, it was Hospice that allowed her to be cared for at home.) She enjoyed playing tennis and bridge and belonged to the Hartford Tennis Club. She was a member of a local women’s bridge group that met monthly for over 50 years. She had a wide circle of close friends and served as a confidant to many, and later in her life, she often played an important helping role in the lives of friends who were ailing, just as she had assisted with her grandchildren when they were young.
In addition to her husband, Roy, she is survived by her younger brother, Donn Scherer, of Illinois; her three children: Sherri Nelson of Rumford, Rhode Island; Dawn Nelson-Buck (Bill Buck) of Andover, Massachusetts; and Mark Nelson (Melissa Hoadley) of Spokane, WA. She leaves six grandchildren who loved her dearly, ranging in age from 12-25: Emily and Hannah Fitts; Kathleen and Caroline Buck; and Devon and Derek Nelson. She also leaves extended family members and close friends across the country.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hartford Health Care at Home, through this link: hartfordhealthcareathome.org/donate, or by check to: HHCAH Hospice, 1290 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 4B, Wethersfield, CT 06109, or a donation can be made to a hospice facility in your area.
A virtual memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 28th at 11:00 am.