Patsy Nelson

A memorial service will be held on Monday, December 15, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Little Chapel on the Boardwalk in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Family and friends are invited to gather in the fellowship hall following the service.

Patsy was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, to the late Glenn Williams Rodgers and Mable Ellen Sharpe Rodgers. She was raised in Charlotte alongside her brother and graduated from Central High School before attending Limestone College, where she completed the Business Program in 1951.

She met the love of her life, Robert “Bob” Nelson, on a blind date while he was attending Presbyterian College. After their marriage, they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1953, where Patsy worked in the Admissions Office at the University of Virginia. Patsy and Bob shared 72 years of marriage filled with faith, family, and friendship. A devoted homemaker and talented decorator, Patsy took great pride in creating warm, beautiful spaces for those she loved. Bob and Patsy raised three wonderful daughters in Charlottesville.

Patsy served on restoration committees for the UVA Lawn Pavilion and First Presbyterian Church of Charlottesville and was a member of the Junior League of Charlottesville. She was deeply involved in her faith and lovingly served on the worship committee at Little Chapel on the Boardwalk, where she was known for arranging flowers and bringing beauty to the church. She especially cherished her Circle #4 family.

Patsy enjoyed golfing with her brother and sister-in-law in Florida and treasured the Nelson family reunions in Montreat, North Carolina, attending all 38. She was an avid gardener, award-winning flower arranger, and found joy in babies, young children, wildlife, and nature. Patsy adored animals and loved spending time at the river, the beach, and in the mountains. She also loved to dance.

Patsy was preceded in death by her brother, Glenn William Rodgers Jr. (Maggie), and her firstborn daughter, Laurie Nelson Bailey.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Robert Brown Nelson; her daughters, Lindsay Nelson Chisholm (Bill) and Sarah Nelson Harris (Ray); her grandchildren, Ryan Elliott Bailey, Andrew Nelson Bailey (Cabel), Knox Nelson Harris (fiancée Caroline), Nelson Halsell Stewart, Raymond Alexander Harris III, and Nellie Barringer Harris; her great-grandchildren, Layne Elizabeth Bailey, Gibson Claude Bailey, and Jagger Halsell Stewart; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and extended family members, to whom she was affectionately known as “Beepy.”

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Little Chapel on the Boardwalk Presbyterian Church, Liberty Hospice, or Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.

Please leave condolences for the family on the guestbook.