Pearly V. Nelson

Pearly was born on November 1, 1927 in Chappell Hill, TX. She was called home by our Lord and Savior on July 1, 2026. Pearly was baptized on November 2, 1927 at Saint Stanislaus Catholic Church. She was a very devout Catholic and lived out her strong faith in all facets of her life. Pearly, along with her husband Joseph, raised their family in the Catholic faith and taught each of them the importance of having faith in knowing Jesus as their Lord and Savior. She was a loving wife, amazing mother and a dedicated prayer warrior for all the people in her life. By her actions, she taught her family how to pray and the importance of prayer, as well as to trust in Jesus in all circumstances. She was a blessing to all of us and to all she met.

Pearly’s family lived on a farm and she was one of a total of 11 brothers and sisters. She went to school through the 3rd grade at which time she ended her schooling to help with the family farm, where she was known as a fast cotton picker. Later she moved to Houston in her 20’s where she started working at the American Can Company for many years. She was a devoted and loving wife, an amazing mother, grandmother (also known as Boucha), great grandmother, aunt and sister and immensely loved her family and friends. Pearly was known for her delicious baking, including her beloved fought over Iced Sugar and Ranger cookies, and even had a sweet tooth for all things sweet herself. She loved to celebrate occasions with a pina colada and drank a glass of Mogen David wine when she hand-washed her dishes. She had a very green thumb and her vegetable garden was always full of vegetables to feed her family. Pearly worked hard in her yard and was very proud of her flower beds, especially her beautiful roses, kalanchoes, and amaryllis lilies. Her yard was even recognized as the neighborhood Yard of the Month once. She was the Astros’s number one fan and loved watching the games, able to recount all the players' names and kept a record of all their wins and losses. Pearly loved to play Yahtzee and dominos, and also loved to dance, especially the polka, waltz and two-step.

She met her husband Joseph George Nelson at Bill Mraz dance hall when she was 26; she always said that she knew she was going to marry her husband the moment she laid eyes on him from across the dance floor. The two were married on May 14, 1955 at Christ the King Catholic church, surrounded by friends and family. They were happily married for 43+ years but felt like she was married to the end.

She is preceded in death by her parents Kostancya and Anton Kaminski; her husband Joseph George Nelson; her son Patrick Joseph Nelson, daughter Rita Louise Nelson; son-in-law Larry Sheffield; brothers Edmond, Chester, Alois, Marion, Willie, and Stanley Kaminski; sisters Mary Bartniski, Helen Nowak, Natalie Bednarek, Gertrude Paradowski. She is survived by daughters Mary Sheffield, Gloria Reuther and husband Randy, Annette Syptak and husband Ronnie; daughter-in-law Elaine Nelson; her sister-in-law Natalie Kaminski; grandchildren Joseph Sheffield and wife Christine, Jason Sheffield and wife Kristi, Mitchell Reuther and wife Traci, Jacquelyn Reuther, Jeff Syptak, Erica Syptak, Craig Nelson and wife Jenn, Alicia Johnson and husband Shaun; great grandchildren Hudson Sheffield, Spencer Sheffield, Austin Sheffield, Easton Sheffield, Clayton Reuther, Carson Reuther, Caleb Reuther, Bryleigh Nelson, Charlie Nelson, Madalynn Nelson, Jaxson Nelson, Raylan Johnson and Benton Johnson; and an extended family of numerous cousins, nieces and nephews and a world of many friends.

She was a proud member of Polish National Alliance, All Saints Catholic Church, and Saint Ambrose Catholic Church; additionally, later in life she was ministered by Dennis and Betty Taylor of Saint Maximillian Kolbe Catholic Church while she was in Park Manor of Cyfair.

Park Manor of Cyfair gave her a lot of first time experiences: she learned chair yoga and other exercises, as well as enjoyed music time, coloring, painting and her frequent manicures. She enjoyed going outside and looking at all the flowers and reminiscing about all the flowers she used to grow. Pearly often enjoyed bingo, frequently winning and sharing the bounty of her winnings with friends and family. She loved wearing her pearls and festive necklaces, as well as looked forward to all the activities at the nursing home, often wearing fun holiday attire to celebrate.

The family will always be grateful for the care that Kathy Baird provided her, as well as Julie Spence, her neighbor, who came to visit her and helped her in more ways than we can count. Pearly often called Julie her little angel and included her as part of our family. We are also thankful for Eva Pedraza who served as her Eucharist Minister. Pearly loved all of you.

Also the family would like to say a huge "Thank You” to all the family members and friends that stopped by to visit her while she was living at home and at Park Manor of Cyfair, as that made her time feel very special. She couldn’t wait to tell the family about each visit and about the treats and flowers she received from you.

Pallbearers will be: Joseph Sheffield, Jason Sheffield, Mitchell Reuther, Craig Nelson, Jeff Syptak, Ronnie Syptak and Randy Reuther

Visitation and viewing will be held at Heights Funeral Home 1317 Heights Blvd Houston, TX 77008 on Thursday night, July 9th from 5-8 pm. Rosary will be at 7 pm.

Mass will be held at St Ambrose Catholic Church 4213 Mangum Rd, Houston, TX 77092 on Friday morning at 10 am with a lunch afterwards.

We will then proceed to the grave site for a Christian burial at the Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston, TX 77023 and that will start at 2:00 pm.