Rosemary Katherine Nelson

On October 22 ^nd , Rosemary Katherine Nelson died at Hilton Head Hospital after a short illness.  She was 74 years old and was married to Norman Nelson for 47 years.

Rosemary was born and grew up in Hazleton, PA, the second of five siblings, and the daughter of Mary (Brislin) Keenan and Thomas Keenan.  She was baptized in the Catholic faith at St Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Church and graduated from St Gabriel’s High School in 1966.  She then proceeded to receive her Registered Nursing Diploma from Hazleton State Hospital School of Nursing in 1969.  She started her career as a pediatric nurse at Montefiore Hospital in New York City before moving back to Hazleton to take a position at Hazleton State Hospital.  She eventually transitioned her focus to psychiatry and continued working as psychiatric nurse for the next 48 years and she retired from her position with the Department of Psychiatry at Morristown Hospital in Morristown, NJ.

In 1973, she met Norman Nelson.  They married in Hazleton on February 15 ^th , 1975 and began their life together.  They moved to Pittsburgh, PA, in 1976, and started a family – welcoming her children Joshua, Molly and Christopher into the world over the next 6 years before moving to Kalamazoo, MI.

As proud and accomplished as she was a nurse, her true calling and commitment came when she became a mother.  Nothing was more important than giving love and support to her three children – selecting the best pediatrician, the right school with committed teachers, helping them to navigate life.  As the children left home to begin lives of their own, she remained only a phone call away – providing advice, just listening or providing a kind word when it was needed (or different type of word if the situation called for it!).

That life guidance was rewarded when the first of her grandchildren “finally” (her words) arrived in 2017.  She loved being a grandmother and delighted in being called “Tippy” by her grandchildren.  Beyond being a wife, mother, and grandmother, she could be the life of the party – smiling, laughing and dancing.  Before the phrase was invented, Rosemary loved “to dance like nobody was watching.”

In addition to her loving husband, she is survived by her three loving children, their spouses and six grandchildren.  Mind you, these are grandchildren for which she waited quite long!  Joshua, Sasha, Mila and Sophia Nelson of Atlanta, GA.  Molly, Scott, Grace and Charlotte Brown of Chicago, IL.  Christopher, Nathalie, Remy and Beauden Nelson of Vienna, VA.  She is also survived by her three remaining siblings: Tommy Keenan, Colleen Koval and Bob Keenan and their children and grandchildren.  Her brother John preceded her in death in 2000.

The family would like to thank the physicians, nurses, therapists and entire care team of the Hilton Head Hospital Intensive Care Unit for their heroic efforts in treating Rosemary for the last 4 weeks of her life.  They showed incredible compassion and understanding to Rosemary and our entire family.

If anyone would like to make a charitable donation in Rosemary’s name, please donate to her favorite charity: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.