Vernis Nelson
Oct. 4, 1928-Nov. 12, 2020
Vernis Aveline (Rodin)
Nelson, 92, Minot, ND,
formerly of Kenmare and
Sherwood, died Nov 12,
2020, at Trinity Homes,
Minot, ND.
Vernis was born October 4, 1928, in Kenmare,
ND to Joseph and Alma
(Ekstrom) Rodin. She attended country school
and graduated from Kenmare High School in
1945. She attended the
Teacher Preparatory program at Minot State College at 16 years old, then
taught in country schools
in the Kenmare area- Little Red School House,
Kandiyohi, and Niobe. On
July 1, 1953, Vernis married Clifford Nelson at the
Baptist Church in Niobe.
They lived in Washington
D.C., until 1954 when
Clifford was discharged
from the U.S. Army. They
returned to the Niobe and
Kenmare area to farm until moving to rural Sherwood in 1962. Vernis supported and helped Clifford with his work –
farming, raising Registered Quarter Horses,
beef and dairy cattle and
his work in the oilfield.
Clifford’s health led them
to move into Kenmare in
1985, where she continued to live after his death
that same year. She
served as the Secretary of
the Northwest Saddle
Club for 25 years. She
worked as an occasional
office assistant in the
State Farm Insurance office and as Church Secretary at Faith Baptist
Church for 25 years. She
played piano and accordion with other Kenmare
musicians, entertaining
the residents of area nursing homes. She spent
many hours and years as a
volunteer at the Kenmare
Nursing Home, where she
received the Kenmare
Volunteer of the Year
award for her service.
She enjoyed calling Bingo,
fixing hair and reading
the paper to the residents.
She loved her years of
teaching and was happy
to share her memories of
those years with anyone,
especially former students
who visited.
Vernis moved to Minot
in 2013, living first at
Brentmoor (now known as
Elmcroft), then Trinity
Homes in 2017.
Vernis had a strong
faith and desire for everyone to know Jesus. She
was a member of Stafford
Baptist Church, rural Norma until its closure in
1985. She then became a
member of Faith Baptist
Church, Kenmare. She
served those churches in
many ways. She taught
Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, played
piano, served as Deaconess, Ladies’ Aid
President, Bible Study
leader, and AWANA Commander. She enjoyed
hosting missionaries and
keeping in touch by writing letters to those in the
mission field. Vernis
especially enjoyed supporting her grandchildren
at their numerous activities, and could be found
at their sporting events,
concerts, and other competitions. Her home time
was spent working crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and watching any
and all sports on TV, or
listening to games on the
radio. In Minot, she attended Heritage Baptist
Church. At Trinity
Homes, she could sometimes be found sitting on
the floor in the hallway in
her favorite cross-legged
position, with her Bible
on her lap.
Vernis was preceded in
death by her parents, husband, and one grandchild.
She is survived by her 5
children: Ronald (Susan)
Nelson, Fergus Falls, MN;
Donovan (Marla) Nelson,
Donnybrook, ND; Roxann
(Rodley) Jepsen, rural
Bowbells, ND; Jacqueline
(Lorrie) Chumley,
Bismarck, ND; and Peggy
Nelson, Minot, ND;
Grandchildren: Erin (Pat)
Motschenbacher and
Tony (Alissa) Nelson;
Nathaniel (Chastity)
Nelson, Jennifer (Austin)
Lindsey and Nicholas
(Abby) Nelson; Garrett
Jepsen, Kalene Jepsen and
Marie (Josh) Blegen;
Amanda (Jordon)
Williams, Matthew (fiancee Kinsey) Chumley,
Hannah Chumley and
Emma Chumley. Vernis
has 21 great- grandchildren. Vernis is also survived by her 2 brothers,
Merrill (LaDonna) Rodin
and Jim (Wanda) Rodin,
Kenmare.
Special thanks go to the
staff at Trinity Homes for
their loving care, and
Thompson Larson Funeral
Services for assistance
with arrangements.
Celebrating the Life of
Vernis:
Due to the Coronavirus
Pandemic, A Private Family Funeral by invitation
will be held Monday, November16, 2020, at 10:30
a.m. at Faith Baptist
Church in Kenmare.
A Public Graveside
Service will be held on
Monday, November 16,
2020, at Lakeview
Cemetery, Kenmare, ND.
Due to the Coronavirus
Pandemic, please observe
social distancing.
Visitation: Will be one
hour before the Funeral.
Memorials: In lieu of
flowers, memorials are
preferred to Child
Evangelism and FaHoCha
Bible Conference.
Masks will be highly
encouraged.
The service will be
livestreamed for the public to view and can be accessed by going to
h t t p s : / / w w w .
youtube.com/ channel/
U C k w 5 w
BH7W_IUwKUcuLvhg
Ow.
Those wishing to sign
the online register and
share memories may access the online obituaries
section at (www. thompsonlarson.com).