Mary Nelson

LOVELL — Mary “Meg” Frances Nelson passed away at her home on Cushman Pond in Lovell, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, after a long illness.

Born in Whitewater, Wisc., Jan. 3, 1930, she was the daughter of LaVerne and Frances Klitzkie of Fort Atkinson, Wisc.

She married Gerald Nelson from Maine and they lived in Fort Atkinson for several years while both attended the Wisconsin Mining School in Platteville. Meg was the first female student to attend this mining college. They later moved to Andover, Mass., where they raised their family. While her three children were young Meg served as Cub Scout Den Mother and Campfire Girls Leader along with teaching sewing at the North Church in Andover. For family vacations, she and Gerry purchased a rustic camp on Cushman Pond in Lovell. The family had great affection for the area and ultimately Meg and Gerry built their retirement home on the shore of the pond.

Meg and Gerry were noted for their profound interest in a variety of activities. They were licensed private sailplane pilots and owned their own sailplane. Their interest in geology resulted in many family weekends camping and exploring for mineral specimens all over the State of Maine. They were active photographers, competed in international photography competition, and won many awards for their work. They were also dedicated to the sport of fly-tying and fly-fishing.

Upon retirement to Lovell, Meg and Gerry continued their dedication to volunteer work. They volunteered for the Town of Lovell, the State of Maine and, in particular, the Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, serving as directors of that organization for many years. Meg was noted for her meticulous attention to detail and an insistence on “getting it right,” which resulted in an extraordinarily accurate record of the work of the organization. She brought these remarkable recordkeeping skills to her volunteer work with the Lovell Historical Society, documenting in writing and photographs the restoration of the 1839 Kimball-Stanford House.

Meg is survived by her husband of 64 years, as well as their three children and one stepson: Karen Nelson of Boulder, Colo.; Kristin and Robert Izes of Hedgesville, W. Va.; Mark and Claire Nelson of Starks; and stepson Terrence and Poppy Nelson of Wilbraham, Mass.. She is also survived by three grandchildren, two stepgrandsons, and four stepgreat-grandchildren.

Meg’s spirit and positive attitude about any new adventure was infectious and her beautiful character will be remembered by all who came in contact with her.

A celebration of her life will be held late in the spring of this year. Her ashes will later be joined with her husband’s and spread by their family in many of the places where they spent their life loving and being close to each other in nearly everything they did in life.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Lovell Historical Society, PO Box 166, Lovell, ME 04051, or The Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program, 24 Maple Hill Road, Auburn, ME 04210.

Arrangements are made with Wood Funeral Home, Fryeburg, Maine. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.woodfuneralhome.org