Sylvia Donaldson Nelson

Sylvia Donaldson Nelson, beloved mother and sister, passed away peacefully at home on January 13, 2024 after a year-long battle with cancer. Sylvia was born February 28, 1949 in Allentown, Pennsylvania to Virginia “Ginny” Donnell Donaldson and W. Lyle Donaldson. She was the third of four children. She is survived by her younger brother, Anthony Donaldson and wife Darla Donaldson of Riverside, CA, and her children: Amy Nelson of Round Rock, TX, Anna Nelson of Richardson, TX, Stephen Nelson and wife Amber Nelson of Yukon, OK, and Andrew Nelson and wife Anna Nelson of Ithaca, NY; and three grandchildren, Colin Nelson, Kate Nelson, and Sawyer Nelson.

Sylvia was a happy child, always interested in the outdoors, plants, birds, and insects. She would tell stories of family trips to South Padre Island where she collected shells, and afternoons spent in the back yard during the war years when her mother would entertain the children by catching grasshoppers.

Sylvia graduated from MacArthur High School in San Antonio, TX and went to Texas Tech University as an Art Education Major. After a childhood spent moving across the country, she said she had resolved to marry a farmer. There she met David Nelson, a farmer and Agricultural Engineering major. They were married on December 20, 1970 and settled on a farm outside Lazbuddie, TX. Amy was born in December of 1971, followed by Anna in 1973. Stephen arrived in 1977.

Sylvia sewed clothes and dance costumes for the girls. She taught sewing lessons to Amy and her friends. When David accepted a job with Halliburton, she packed up the family and moved them to Brownfield. Andrew was born in 1983 right before David was transferred overseas to Indonesia. With a 3-month old baby and 3 elementary age children in tow, Sylvia packed up the house and kids and embarked on her first trip across an ocean. It would be the first of many such trips.

While in Indonesia, Sylvia encountered new food, made life-long friends, and collected art and craft forms from the local markets. After Indonesia, she moved her family across several more oceans, landing in Duncan, OK, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Leiden, The Netherlands, Pitcaple, Scotland, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, Hobbs, NM, and finally Trinidad, CO. Her favorite places were Scotland and Colorado. In 2009 she moved to Round Rock, TX to be close to her daughter Amy.

Everywhere Sylvia lived, she made a home for her family filled with art, books, music and cats! She grew up with cats and loved each of them dearly. She and her brother talked so much about cats that the topic was banned from her parents dinner table!

Sylvia worked tirelessly to create a nurturing environment for her family, and was happiest when she saw that they were happy. Countless hours were spent on the road to attend sports events in which her children were playing, books were always bought for her children to read, and when she wasn't on the road for a sports event, a warm home-cooked meal was on the table every night. She continued to serve warm home-cooked meals every time the family gathered and took great joy in feeding her family.

At heart always an artist and a creator, Sylvia discovered a way to express her passion in Stampin Up while living in Colorado! She became a demonstrator and had a successful Etsy business selling cards, gift tags and garlands. Through her business she made friends around the world. Her friends, children and grandchildren enjoyed receiving her hand-made cards.

A Celebration of Life is planned for April 7th at Sylvia’s home in Round Rock. For details, please contact the family.