Margie "Jean" Crider Nielsen

Margie Jean Nielsen, 86, died in Austin, Texas, on August 20. Jean was the youngest child of William Robert Crider and Lillian Laseter Crider of Cullman, Alabama. After graduating from Berea College in Kentucky, she worked as a home demonstration agent in Colorado, where she met and married Nathan Nielsen, a newspaper reporter. They moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where Nate wrote and edited for the Omaha World-Herald and Jean taught home economics.

They moved again to Northern Virginia, where both Nate and Jean worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. After retiring, they moved to White Stone, Virginia. In 2007, Jean moved to Austin, Texas.

She is survived by two daughters, Belinda Buescher of Annandale, Virginia, and Sharon Nielsen of Austin; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Jean was a devoted member of the Lutheran Church, and made hundreds of quilts for Lutheran World Relief. A memorial service will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Austin, Saturday, September 6, at 2 p.m.

Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to Jean's beloved alma mater, Berea College, in Berea, Kentucky. This excellent liberal arts college was established in the late 19th century to serve students of low income but high promise from the Appalachian Mountain region. All students at Berea have full scholarships and work in the college industries to cover the cost of their education.

Donations will go into the Berea Fund, which helps fill the gap for tuition scholarships. Gifts can be made online, by phone or by mail. With all methods, please indicate that the gift is in honor of Margie Jean Crider Nielsen.

To donate online, visit:

https://webapps.berea.edu/givetoberea/givenow/onetime.aspx

To donate by phone, call Rachel Taylor at 1-800-457-9846.

To donate by mail, send a check, payable by mail, to:

Berea College

CPO 2216

Berea, KY 40404

http://www.berea.edu/