SIREN – Turning a century old is a pretty big deal. That’s why more than 100 people turned out on Sunday, Jan. 15, for lunch at the Siren Covenant Church to share some special moments with Grace Nelson for her birthday. Nelson was born here in the area on Jan. 14, 1923. Back then, Wisconsin was just 75 years old and World War I had just ended about five years prior. The Great Depression had not even occurred.
Nelson says she was a little bit of a tomboy as a child because she “had two older brothers and had to keep up with them.” She also recalls there was a lot of discipline in her family during the early years, and noted that everyone had a part to play in getting the household work accomplished. Nelson explained, “My parents gave me rules so that we knew what we had to do and what our jobs were around the house. We would then save up our nickels that we got.”
For most of her 100 years, Nelson has been a member of the Siren Covenant Church, where Brian Pardun is the current pastor. Pardun said, “Grace Nelson has been a member here since she was born. It’s a pretty amazing story. Siren Covenant is the oldest church in Burnett County. It was started in the late 1800s when the Swedes came over and started a Swedish church which started over by Mud Hen Lake. Then they moved to downtown Siren. That building was lost in the tornado about 20 years ago and then we moved out here. Grace Nelson has been with us for a lot of that history and means a lot to the parish community.”
Many of those attending the lunch also have fond memories and stories about Nelson. Paul Lopez, and his wife, Denice, are neighbors to Nelson. He said, “She’s very opinionated. She’s very sharp. She is awesome to listen to and everyone likes to listen to her stories. One of my favorites is what Burnett County was like when her dad first built the house she currently lives in, back in the early 1900s.” Brian Andrewson is also a neighbor. He shared, “We really like to go over and help her with shoveling and she is always like – you don’t have to do that. Then every time we do it she invites us into the house to have some coffee and cookies. She remembers all my relatives’ names and where they live. And she brings them up and asks me about them.”
We asked Nelson if she had any secrets to her longevity, but she said she really didn’t have any. Just that God has blessed her and has been good to her over the years. As for advice – Nelson says just stick with something and keep going with it no matter what. Don’t hop from one job to another, like she sees a lot of people doing these days.
