Martha Jean Nelson Duell

DUELL, Martha Jean, “Momma Jean”, 79, of Richmond, Va., went to be with the Lord on Monday, March 26, 2018. Momma Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Allen David Duell; her parents, Samuel Lawrence Nelson, Bessie Rodgers; and a brother Bruce (Anita) Nelson. She is survived by her daughter Suzanne Duell-Stevens (Randy/deceased); brother, Sammy (Pat) Nelson; sister, Cathy (Mike) Walker; nieces and nephew, Christy (Peter) Doyle, Jennifer and Jason Walker, God-Daughter, Casie (Dave) Davis; devoted family friends for over 50 years, Juanita (Lewis) Stratton; two grandchildren, RC (Aimee) Stevens, Wendy Gale (Paul) Kwolek; four great-grandchildren, Jared, Hailey, Coleman, Faith; two God-children, Emma and Jake; and other relatives and friends.

She was the second person hired at Robins Insurance Agency where she retired twice after working for over 50 years. Momma Jean loved being around and talking to people and always willing to give a helping hand.

She loved training/teaching people whether it was at work, cooking/baking, or at play like teaching you how to bowl. She was on the Robins bowling team for many years. In addition to bowling, she also loved other sports like baseball, NASCAR (Earnhardt fan) and football where she was a devoted Redskins & Packers fan. She loved to cook for a crowd, and thoroughly enjoyed baking. When it was someone’s birthday at work she would always bake them a cake. She was also a great teacher in showing children on how to decorate a gingerbread house, make pancakes and to bake cookies to name a few. Momma Jean did have a sweet tooth!

Momma Jean also enjoyed working in her yard and planting all types of flowers; blooms would be from Spring to Fall. She loved to gamble as well; whether it was playing Bingo or as she would say “let’s go look at the leaves” which meant a casino trip! She enjoyed listening to all types of music and had been known to frequent many concerts back in the day; her last concert was Bruce Springsteen at the Richmond Coliseum where she was dancing with her daughter in the aisles along with everyone else. She loved to have a good time!

While we will always cherish the lessons she taught us, the memories we have will always be carried in our hearts. Momma Jean would want us to be strong like her, be kind to one another and to live, laugh and enjoy life. She would also want us to plant something pretty and to remember that sometimes it’s OK to have dessert first!

The family would also like to thank all the cardiac and kidney doctors and nurses at Henrico Doctors Forest location and St. Mary’s Hospital for their caring support. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Momma Jean’s charities such as the Heart and Kidney associations, SPCA/Humane Society (she loved her cat Tiger) or charity of donor’s choice.

Visitation for family and friends will be 3-7:00 p.m., Monday, April 2, at Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Road, Richmond, VA 23229. Her Celebration of life service will be at 10:00, Tuesday, April 3, at the funeral home.