Betty June Nielsen

NIELSEN BETTY NIELSEN The DC area has lost a jewel. Betty Nielsen died on Monday, September 3, 2012, after a long battle with Alzheimer's. She did not entertain world leaders or speak on the public stage, but Betty supported the military career of her husband as he worked to defend our nation, and devoted herself to raising her two children. Born in Memphis, TN, in 1927, she made her way through challenging circumstances in the late 1920s and the 1930s to graduate from Baylor University in Waco, TX. After a voyage to Europe on the Queen Elizabeth with friends, she and other young teachers made their way west to California as growth spurred a huge demand for teachers. Unbeknownst to them, there were U.S. Naval Officers waiting at the end of the journey. She married Dick Nielsen in 1958, and their first child, Chris, was born in 1960. With her husband stationed in Viet Nam (and before the major fighting broke out), she set out with her six-month-old son for that distant country so they could be together. After returning and being stationed briefly in Albuquerque, the family settled in Virginia, where their second child, Julie, was born in 1964. Betty devoted herself to her family and the success of her children. Chris went into police work and was a homicide detective in Roanoke County until his early death in 2008. Julie went into the HR field and remains there now at ASTD. Betty was active in her church and in the community, serving as an early volunteer for the Washington Ear and enjoying all DC had to offer. They retired to San Diego in 1986, where Betty stayed a while longer after Dick died. But she returned home to DC at the onset of Alzheimers, living in walking distance to Julie and enjoying a close mother-daughter relationship until the last day. Throughout her life, Betty lived her values - putting others first, standing up for the weak, watching out for those in need, and finding laughter and joy in life regardless of the circumstances. She is survived by Julie, by her adored granddaughter Erica (21) - a senior at Roanoke College, by her beloved grandson Rick (16) - a junior in high school, and by her cousin Gloria Cropper of Anna Maria, FL. She also leaves Sasha, Charlotte, Macy and Bailey, the Nielsen pets. Services will be held at McLean Bible Church on Monday, September 10 at 11 a.m. (visitation at 10:30 a.m.). The family suggests that gifts to celebrate Betty's life be given to the Alzheimer's Association , www.alz.org" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.alz.org or the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, www.alzfdn.org." target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.alzfdn.org. Services will be held at McLean Bible Church on Monday, September 10 at 11 a.m. (visitation at 10:30 a.m.). The family suggests that gifts to celebrate Betty's life be given to the Alzheimer's Association , www.alz.org or the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, www.alzfdn.org.