Daily Sitka Sentinel

Charlotte (Bell) Nielsen and Jolene (Nielsen) (Overman) Rodriguez

A funeral service for Charlotte (Bell) Nielsen, and a memorial for her daughter, Jolene (Nielsen) (Overman) Rodriguez will be held at noon Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the First Presbyterian Church, 505 Sawmill Creek Road. A graveside service at about 1:30 will be followed by a luncheon at the church’s Latta Hall.

Charlotte (Bell) Nielsen

Jolene (Nielsen) (Overman) Rodriguez

 

Charlotte died Sept. 21 at SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital at age 87. Jolene died July 26 at her home. She was 58.

Charlotte was born April 29, 1930, in Angoon, the daughter of Mary (James) and Archie Bell. After her father’s death, her mother married Andrew Wanamaker.

Charlotte attended school until fifth grade, in 1942, then attended Sheldon Jackson Junior High and then Sheldon Jackson High School, until 1947. She married James J. Nielsen Sr. May 9, 1952, at the Presbyterian Church. The clergyman was Rev. Elwood Hunter; best man was Charlie Joseph; bridesmaid was Bertha Jacobs; maid of honor Lucrecia Eldemire; and ushers Albert Nielsen, Raymond Nielsen and Herbert Didrickson.

Charlotte was a shareholder of Sealaska Regional and Shee Atika corporations.

Charlotte began working in 1971 as a laundry worker, and in 1981 as a custodian, with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She sold Avon products in 1984, moved to Homemaker 1985-87, then worked for SEARHC until she retired in about 2010.

Her lifetime interests included crocheting doilies and afghans, sewing, playing Christian music on her electric piano, and traveling with her cousin Bertha (Jacobs) Karras. She also loved the great outdoors, picnicking, boatnicking, and traveling on the ferry to visit family around Southeast.

Her doilies will be displayed at the luncheon.

Charlotte was preceded in death by her parents and half sister Elizabeth (Wanamaker) Peratrovich; auntie Emma Hamberg and sisters Lucy (Bell) DeAsis, Beatrice (Bell) Paul and her husband Pat Paul and brothers Steven, Royal DeAsis and Clarence Bell.

Daughters Sandra (Nielsen) Lawrence, and Jolene (Overman) (Nielsen) Rodriguez; son-in-law Sam Overman; brothers-in-law Albert Nielsen Sr., Raymond Nielsen Sr., Arthur Nielsen, Archie Nielsen, Harry Bartels Sr., Jack Makinen, Peter George (and his wife Betty (Howard) George; cousin Cyril George and nephews, Albert Nielsen Jr. and his son William A. Nielsen, Tomas Nielsen, Philip Nielsen, John Bartels Sr., Harry Bartels Jr., John Bartels Sr., Frank and Marvin Jones; sister-in-law Agnes (Nielsen) Bartels; and nieces Minn Bartels and June Nielsen also preceded her in death.

Charlotte is survived by her former husband John J. Nielsen Sr. and John’s cousin Lou Primacio and her family; cousin Bertha (Jacobs) Karras and husband Pete Karras Sr. and their family, Peter Karras Jr., Pamela Kathy (Karras) Pook, Michael, Ernie, and Peter Karras’s wife Erica and their children.

Also surviving are sister-in-law Ethel Makinen and her family members; sister-in-law Kathy (Nielsen) Williams and her family members; also, Rose Ballenger, Patsy Pelayo, Guy Pelayo Jr., Russell George and his sister Debra George, and Cheryl George; nephews Bernard, Milton, Royal, and Timothy DeAsis; and nieces Verna (Johns) Johnson and her children Daniel, Alvin, Donald, Valorie, Melanie and their family, and Alberta (DeAsis) Everson.

Charlotte’s surviving sons are James, Robert, and Leonard Nielsen and James’ sons and grandchildren Garrett, Derick Nielsen and Derick’s son and daughter OJ and Nevah Nielsen. Also surviving are nieces Shirly (Nielsen) Senn, Julie Nielsen, Louann Nielsen, Lolly Nielsen and their family, Eileen (Nielsen) Weathers, Cynthia (Tutiakoff) Carlson, Dora (Bartels) Biggs and her family, Richard and family, and Lillian (Nielsen) Young and her family, Kyle Young, Josh Young, Kyla Young, Chris (Bartels) Clingenpeel and family, and Steven Bartels, sister Kristin Bartels, and nephews Jeff, Ken Nielsen, Ki Nielsen, Douglas, Clyde Bartels, and Timothy Tutiakoff and children Tim, Jeromy and Tammy.

Also surviving are numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren Kimberly Lapchynski and the Overmans and Perter (Nielsen) Martin.

Jolene (Nielsen) (Overman) Rodriguez’s surviving children are Johnny Jacobs, Michael and Brian Overman and her grandchildren.

Jolene’s interests were traveling with mom, playing pool, tour guiding, fishing the salmon derbies, sewing and volunteering for the children for annual Christmas parties.

Pallbearers are Ki Nielsen, Nathan Bernhardt, Pete Karras, Ernie Karras, Don Petro and Clyde Bartels.

Honorary pallbearers are Ethel (Kitka) Willis, Ernie Hillman Sr., Harold Jacobs, Maria (Kitka) Thiemeyer, Jim Button, Andrew Roberts, Cheryl (Johnson) Duncan, Kyle Young, Paddy Hansen, Don Garrity, Russell George, Douglas Bartels, Nels Lawson Sr., James J. Nielsen Sr., Lawrence (Woody) Widmark, Eugene Bourdukofsky and Timothy Tutiakoff.

 

In lieu to flowers, the family suggests contributions to the First Presbyterian Church, 505 Sawmill Creek Road.