Nelda C. Denning

Nelda Colleen (Anderson) Denning quietly went to rest with her heavenly father & a host of loved ones on April 28, 2010. She was born in Alfalfa, Oklahoma on Dec 19,1925 to Louis Belton & Opal Irene (Ticer) Anderson. She attended Anchor Grade School near Alfalfa, OK and graduated from Yukon High School in 1943. Nelda married her high school sweetheart, Orville Irvin Denning on Jan 12,1946 in Ventura California. They were married 54 years before he passed away in 2000. She was a secretary/bookkeeper for Utility Tower Co. and a local real estate broker for many years. She was a charter member of Putnam City Baptist Church. Nelda loved family gatherings, gardening, travel, & crafts. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Orville, 2 brothers Don Anderson and Ralph Anderson and granddaughter Teresa Dyann Denning. She leaves behind her 2 daughters, Sharon (Roy) Taylor, Kathy (Michael) Bergman, and 1 son, O. Bruce (Kris) Denning, 10 grandchildren and a host of great-grandchildren, friends and other family.

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She is Just Away

We cannot say, and we will not say

that she is dead - she is just away!

With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,

She has wandered into an unknown land,

And left us dreaming how very fair

It needs must be, since she lingers there.

And you - O you, who the wildest yearn

For the old time step and glad return,

Think of her faring on, as dear

In the love of There as the love of Here;

Think of her still as the same, we say:

She is not dead - she is just away!!!

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Nelda Colleen Anderson Denning – Our Mother

To Sharon, Kathy, and Bruce, our brother

She was our mommie, mom, and very sweet mother

An extraordinary lady when compared to the rest

It was clear to the three of us – our mom was the best!

When she was a young girl, she lived on the farm

She had a love for the outdoors, and horseback riding

Playing hide-and-seek with her brothers Ralph and Don

Into the haystacks, she’d go hiding!

A girl named Jane Ann Montgomery was her very best friend

They liked Clark Gable in “Gone With The Wind”

Together they had fun teasing the boys

Like sisters they were, sharing life’s joys

Mom, as a teen, was a high-school beauty queen

Long, blonde hair, and a movie-star smile

Hour-glass figure, nice skin that could tan

My Dad would recall, “Man o’ Man!”

Mom’s patience was tested when I was born breach

Her “sort of” problem child, who lovingly she would teach

She home-schooled me for Kindergarten, Reading, Writing, and Art

She taught me so well, I turned out smart!

When I was five, one snowy day

Mom got out our snowsuits and said, “Let’s go outside and play!”

With a shovel in her hands and a plan up her sleeve

She hallowed out a front-yard igloo my eyes couldn’t believe!

We spent the afternoon laughing and pretending in our ice house so deep

She had built for me a memory I’d always cherish and keep!

Mother worked outside the home so we could have the best

Corrective shoes, braces on teeth, dancing lessons, and all the rest

She also worked inside the house to make it a home because

Ours rivaled BHG – House beautiful-it truly was!

Her flower beds and veggie gardens all reflected her green thumb and TLC

When asked how, she would say, “I swear by Miracle Grow, you see!”

Mother sewed me some clothes and clothes for my dolls

Put up lacy curtains and pictures on the walls

Decorated with silk flowers, all colorful hues

Turquoise, mauves, shades of pink, and blues.

Mom enjoyed traveling by train, plane, and car

She said coming to Germany to see us would not be too far

She loved her kids and grandkids so much

Her photo albums all speak volumes

How she loved to stay in touch

We had lots in common, my Mom was my friend

We’d go shopping together and out-to-eat lunches

Then try on pretty dresses, jewelry, and shoes by the bunches

She helped me to plan the most beautiful wedding day

And taught me the motto, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Mother belonged to Jesus and told me this story

About how she gave her heart to Him in her church in the country

And about how she was baptized down at the river

While the congregation sang, “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

She walked with me down the isle when I gave my heart to Jesus

To Him and Him alone, go all my Praise, Honor, and Thanks!

In heartfelt dedication, I write this poem to say

Thank you, God, for our Mother, in our hearts she’ll always stay!

Poem written by:

Kathy Denning Bergman

May 2, 2010