Pauline Mary Nelson

Pauline (Pauly) Mary Nelson died peacefully on August 15, 2025, in Alcoa. She had recently turned 88. Pauline was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Mary Eva Coughlin and Samuel Floyd Walters on August 10, 1937.

In 1968, Pauline wed her soulmate, Burl Nelson, beginning a 42-year love story filled with laughter, kindness, devotion, and shared dreams. Burl preceded her in death as did her precious miniature yorkie, Tiki.

Pauline and Burl moved to Maryville, Tennessee, in 1995. They owned an accounting firm offering tax and bookkeeping services and worked together until Burl’s death in 2010.

Pauline is survived by her stepson, Timothy Nelson; cousin-in-law Joyce Barrow, Joyce’s husband Ted and children, Angie and Scotty; dear friends Martin and Anna Young, Doris Stokey, Patty Brooks, Elizabeth McCollum, and countless others whose lives she touched.

A celebration of her life will be held at Sherwood Chapel & Memorial Gardens in Alcoa on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 3:00 P.M. We invite all who knew Pauly to join in remembering the light she shared with every heart she touched.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in Pauline’s memory to Habitat for Humanity (https://secure.habitat.org) or Project Linus (https://www.projectlinus.org).