Catherine Elsie Nelson

October 24, 1925 – March 5, 2023

Catherine Elsie (Frey) Nelson was born on October 24, 1925 in Houston, Texas. The daughter of Albert Henry Frey and Catherine Elsie (Anderson) Frey and the older sister of Margaret Frey, Catherine was a graduate of Incarnate Word Academy in Houston. She worked at Fair Maid bakery for five years and in New York for a year. She met her husband, James J. Nelson, at a dance at the YMCA in Houston. After a brief courtship, they married in 1951. Jim was in the Air Force and like many a military family, they moved frequently, from Texas, South Carolina, and Kansas to California, Florida, Georgia, and England. During this time, Catherine gave birth to seven children and spent her time raising them.

In 1970, Jim retired from the Air Force and the family settled in Austin, Texas. Once her youngest child enrolled in school, Catherine devoted herself to volunteer work. She was an active member of St. Austin’s Catholic Church, where she taught Sunday school, coordinated the altar servers, belonged to the Liturgy Committee, dispatched calls for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and served as President of the Parish Council. Catherine also belonged to the Ladies of Charity, serving as treasurer and president. In her Ladies of Charity role, she volunteered at the St. Vincent de Paul store and eventually became their bookkeeper and store manager. She also coordinated monthly birthday visits from the Ladies to the Austin State Hospital, a ministry that continued until COVID restrictions forced them to stop.

Catherine loved to travel and took frequent trips with her children and grandchildren to cities around the United States. Her children tell stories about Catherine’s energy and speed on these trips – it was sometimes hard to keep up with her. While advancing age slowed her down a little, it did not stop her, and in October 2022, at the age of 96, she fulfilled a long-time dream by taking a trip to Ireland to research her family history.

Catherine is preceded to her death by her husband Jim, her eldest daughter Mary Nelson, her son Richard Nelson, and her son-in-law Edward Segura. She is survived by her son Michael Nelson (Liz), daughter Pat Segura, son James Nelson (Cathy), son Matt Nelson (Louise), son Tom Nelson (Whitney), son-in-law Sandy Gilzow, and daughter-in-law Kim Naredo, as well as 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held at Weed Corley Funeral Home (5416 Parkcrest Drive, Austin 78731) on Friday, March 10 from 6:00-7:30pm with a rosary from 7:30-8:00pm. A funeral mass will be held at St. Austin Catholic Church (2026 Guadalupe Street, Austin 78705) on Saturday, March 11 at 11:00am. Burial will held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery (1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd, San Antonio 78209) on Tuesday, March 14 at 10:00am.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation to the Paulist Fathers (Paulist.org/give) or to The Central Texas Food Bank (centraltexasfoodbank.org)

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishnorth.com for the Nelson family.