Diane Nelsen

Diane Nelsen, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, nurse, faithful servant of Christ, and treasured friend, passed peacefully into her Savior's arms on June 26, 2026, at the age of 89 in Arlington, Texas.

Born on January 19, 1937, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Diane was the cherished daughter of Leo and Julia Lidholm. As the daughter of a United States Marine, Diane experienced life in several communities as her family followed her father's military assignments before eventually settling in Missouri. Those early years helped shape the resilient, compassionate, and adaptable woman she would become.

From a young age, Diane knew she was called to care for others. She pursued her passion by attending Jewish Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis, where she earned her nursing degree and began a distinguished career as an operating room nurse at Jewish Hospital. Her gentle spirit, steady hands, and unwavering compassion touched countless lives throughout her years in nursing.

While working in St. Louis, fate intervened in the form of a blind date at an amusement park. There, Donald Nelsen entertained Diane with stories of fishing and squirrel hunting, stories that must have been especially memorable. Their friendship blossomed into a lifelong love, and on a beautiful day in 1959, Diane and Donald were united in marriage at Grace Lutheran Church in Pagedale, Missouri.

Together they built a loving home filled with faith, laughter, and devotion. They welcomed three children, Connie, Keith, and Gary, each born at Jewish Hospital where Diane lovingly cared for others while beginning her own family's story.

In July 1970, Donald's career brought the family to Houston, Texas, and another transfer in 1977 led them to Arlington, where they found not only a home but also a church family that would become central to Diane's life. At Grace Lutheran Church, Diane's faith flourished through decades of joyful service. Alongside Donald, she sang in the church choir and with the Tarrant County Lutheran Chorale, sharing music in churches, community events, and even prisons, believing God's love belonged to everyone.

Diane's commitment to her church was extraordinary. She faithfully served as the Grace Lutheran Church Memorial and Honorarium Coordinator for more than twenty years and participated in the Senior Saints, handbell choir, Benevolence Meal Ministry, Vacation Bible School, and a Braille Bible ministry for over twenty five years. She was always eager to help wherever she was needed, especially when children were involved. She delighted in talking about the smiles and excitement of the Vacation Bible School children and treasured every opportunity to serve.

Her faith was the cornerstone of her life. Diane often expressed her gratitude with the simple but heartfelt phrase, "God bless God." Those words reflected a life lived in humble praise, steadfast trust, and joyful devotion to her Savior.

Diane also possessed a gift that brought smiles wherever she went, her wonderful sense of humor. Friends, family, and even strangers quickly became the audience for one of her favorite jokes. Many could recite them by heart, including why cows wear bells or why a golfer took two pairs of shoes to the golf course.

Even during her final hospitalization, Diane's joyful spirit never faded. She continued sharing her favorite jokes with the nurses caring for her. Before long, they were repeating them to one another and sharing them with their own families. Diane's laughter and warmth brightened even the most difficult days, leaving smiles that will continue long after her passing.

Above all, Diane's greatest joy was her family. She loved deeply and unconditionally, celebrating each milestone, offering encouragement through every challenge, and demonstrating daily what it meant to love with patience, kindness, and grace. Her legacy lives on through the countless lives she touched as a devoted wife, loving mother, proud grandmother, cherished great grandmother, faithful nurse, and servant of Christ.

Diane was preceded in death by her beloved husband of many years, Donald Lewis Nelsen, her son, Keith Bryon Nelsen, her parents, Leo and Julia Lidholm, her brother, Howard Lidholm, and her sister, Shirley Marsten.

She is lovingly remembered by her daughter, Connie Walker and husband Arthur Walker, her son, Gary Nelsen and wife Gail Nelsen, her grandchildren, Andrew Stephenson, Daniel Stephenson and wife Jenna Stephenson, Timothy Stephenson, Julia Franklin and husband Nick Franklin, and Allison Nelsen, and her treasured great granddaughters, Chloe Franklin and Elle Franklin. She also leaves behind many extended family members, dear friends, and her beloved church family who were blessed by her unwavering faith, joyful spirit, and generous heart.

A celebration of Diane's life will honor a woman whose compassion healed, whose faith inspired, whose laughter lifted others, and whose love knew no bounds. Though she is deeply missed, her family rejoices in the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ and finds comfort knowing she has been welcomed into her heavenly home with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made in Diane's memory to Grace Lutheran Church, the Braille Center #184, the Grace Lutheran Church Building Fund, or the American Cancer Society.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7