Cleopha Ann (Schwery) Nelsen

Cleo was born at home on a family farm near Panama, Iowa, during the Depression. While life had other plans for her, she remained a farm girl at heart. She believed in the dignity of hard work and prioritizing the needs of others. While life handed her plenty of

heartache, she didn’t see much use in complaining. Raised by the no-nonsense children of immigrants, she was the youngest of 12, so a double-digit family was natural to her. It was as a young woman working at a small-town drugstore, a dashing son of a dairy farmer caught her eye. Newmark Nelsen was his name, but he went by Dane, a name he chose to conceal the fact that he was racing motorcycles from his parents. Dane’s wild ways ended when he married the girl of his dreams in 1950, and they left the farm for good. Over the next 25 years, they made homes in Iowa, Minnesota, and finally settled in the PNW on Mercer Island. Cleo and Dane had 12 children, a fact that stands as the centerpiece of her life. While Dane used his skills in business to build a comfortable life for their family, Cleo focused on what came naturally to her, making a home and nurturing the family within. Cleo and Dane’s home hummed like a factory. Everyone had a job, and everything had its place. She insisted on a job well done and instilled in her children pride in doing things right.

When the kids became independent, keeping a home wasn’t enough to occupy her energies. She worked at Riley’s, a friend’s gift store, painted and wallpapered home interiors, and always found time to “serve the needy”. Contributing was at the core of her way of being, but she knew how to have fun. Sailing trips (though she never learned to swim), she loved adventures on The Bakers Dozen and the Jeffrey R. (the family sailboats), travels around the world with Dane, and attending the annual Barn Dance, put on by her family in Iowa. She loved to dance and always had room for dessert.

Cleo’s spirit was powered by an unwavering faith in the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Church was the focal point of her community and held her up through the death of three of her children and, after 61 years together, the passing of Dane.

While Cleo was the last surviving member of the Schwery children, her children are part of a vast legacy and have 96 first cousins (at last count). She had a remarkable memory for the details of her Iowa family and used her perfect penmanship to write cards for births, birthdays, graduations, and condolences.

She is survived by her children, Craig (Jackie), Connie (Steve), Cris (Dennis), Cathy (Brien), Tom, Jane, Peggy (Tom), Mark (Luiza), and Jimmy (Becket). Many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sons, Curtis, Jeff, Chuck, and her husband, Dane.

Service will be held at St. Monica’s Catholic Church, 4301 88th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040. Thursday, February 12, 2026, 11 am. Reception to follow.