Winifred "Penny" L Nelson

Penny was born January 21,1942 in Sylvania, Georgia. She adored her parents and her childhood in Sylvania, with scores of relatives nearby and a yard full of cats. She was a graduate of Screven County High School and the University of Georgia, where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority. After graduating from UGA, Penny moved to Augusta to teach special education, and in Augusta, Penny met the love of her life. Penny and Harold, “salty and sweet,” were married in July of 1967.

In November of 1972, Anne-Brown was born, and less than 13 months later in December of 1973, Phillip arrived. A shy and introverted homebody, Penny adored motherhood, and she was intentional about creating a home for her family. While Penny hated to cook, food was often her love language for her family. She was up every morning cooking incredible breakfasts to fortify her family for the day– eggs, pancakes, waffles, funnel cake!, sausage and bacon…no one left the house hungry. Each day after school, Penny, Anne-Brown and Phillip would gather at the kitchen table, drink Cokes, eat the best snack food, and talk about the day. And at night, she expected everyone to be home and at the table for her homemade dinner. Penny’s Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were epic, and everything was made from scratch.

Penny loved holidays, and her decorations for every holiday brought her so much pleasure. And the dolls! Her love of dolls began in her childhood and lasted throughout her lifetime. Those who knew her well remember the cabinet of Madame Alexander dolls that covered the wall of the living room. Her favorite childhood baby doll Michael still rests in a special place in her house.

As much as Penny enjoyed her own children, she enjoyed her grandchildren even more. Penny loved children’s toys, and nothing brought her as much pleasure as watching her grandchildren play with some special toy she had found. At Christmas, she and Harold, “MaMa and Big Daddy,” would set up train sets with Christmas scenes, and the grandchildren found them mesmerizing. Her grandchildren will always remember her delicious peas and rice, the huge bowls of candy, and her sharp tongue and sense of humor.

As Phillip and Anne-Brown put down roots outside of Augusta, Penny threw herself into renovating and restoring her childhood home in Sylvania. During their visits to Sylvania, Penny and Harold made frequent trips to the Screven County landfill where they would off-load yard and construction trash and feed the stray cats. After a historic ice storm in 2014, as soon as the roads were safe, Penny convinced Harold to drive to Sylvania to check on the cats at the landfill. Only two cats had survived the storm, Gracie and Pearl, and those two lucky cats quickly settled into their new home on Ravenel Road. So began Penny’s last great passion– volunteering for pet rescue organizations and caring for and adopting many abandoned pets. Penny and Harold loved all of those cats and dogs so very much– Smokey, Maggie, Biscuit, Miss Pittypat, Rip, Tiny, Tommy, Pretty Boy, Precious, Fancy, Flint, Louise…

Penny was tough, stubborn, and short-tempered. She was opinionated, thin-skinned and slow to forgive. She was shy and introverted, which could make her seem aloof. And for those whom she loved, she was light, and love, and home, and so much fun. With her irreverent sense of humor, no one was safe and no subject was off-limits. And she was hilarious. One of the best lessons she taught her children and grandchildren was not to take themselves or life too seriously– she could almost always find something to laugh about. And she could always be counted on to give you advice– whether you wanted it or not– no matter how hard it was to hear. She was fiercely loyal to those she loved, and when her children or grandchildren needed her, all they had to do was ask.

Penny’s loved ones knew she was near the end when she stopped trying to take care of her family and she stopped laughing. Harold’s illness and death broke her spirit and her heart, and no amount of hugs and inappropriate jokes from her children and grandchildren or snuggles from her cats could heal her. At last, she is laughing again in heaven with Harold, her Mom and Dad, her favorite dogs Copper, Chester and Flint, and all the rest of her beloved departed pets.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years Harold Nelson on September 10, her beloved parents Hubert and Annie Brown (Evans) Lariscy, and her sister Suzanne Kerkhoff. She is survived by her daughter Anne-Brown Adams, son Phillip and daughter-in-law Norris Nelson, and grandchildren Phillip and Jackson Adams, Helen and Hollis Nelson.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite pet rescue organization. Penny was adamant that she did not want any kind of funeral or reception. Instead, her family will gather, toast her with “Co-Colas,” and laugh at old stories– a tribute Mom would enthusiastically support.