Obituaries: Diane Elaine Nelson (Jay) (Nov. 18, 1953 – Aug. 13, 2011)

Diane passed from this life to be with her creator on August 13, 2011, in Eureka, with family at her bedside.

Diane Elaine Nelson was born November 18, 1953 in Eureka, to Darell and Gloria Nelson. At the time of her birth the family resided in Orick. In 1956 the family moved to Crescent City and resided there until the death of Diane’s father, who was killed in a logging accident in 1957 in Klamath. The family relocated to McKinleyville where Diane grew up. Diane was baptized at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Arcata in the mid-60s. She attended elementary school at the Scheffler Seventh Day Adventist School and junior high school at McKinleyville Elementary School and graduated from McKinleyville High School in 1971. Diane moved to Santa Rosa during her senior year of high school to live with her sister. She attended one semester at Santa Rosa High and finished her senior year early, but returned to McKinleyville to graduate from McKinleyville High School with her classmates and friends. After high school Diane moved to San Francicso and graduated from Healds Business College and worked at Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. She always loved living in San Francisco. Diane later attended College of the Redwoods. She was a proud member of the Yurok Tribe of California and loved spending time in Klamath and on the Klamath River.

Diane had worked for the Northern California Indian Development Council in the Fiscal Department and Gift Shop. She also worked for 10 years for the Yurok Tribe in the Administrative, Enrollment/Elections and Planning Departments. While in the Planning Department she worked on the planning of the new Yurok Tribal Office in Klamath. She was responsible for selecting and purchasing the furniture for the new building of which she was very proud. She also worked for Two Feathers Native American Family Services.  For the past five years she worked at United Indian Health Services at the Potowat Health Village. When she worked in Behavioral Health she loved going into Juvenile Hall or going to court to advocate for native youth. Her last position was in the Health Promotions as a Health Promotions Technician where she worked with the Teen Advisory Group (TAG) and other programs.  She loved her TAG kids.

After a long courageous battle with breast cancer, her life was taken from us much too soon due to two debilitating falls that broke her hip. Her first fall occurred on June 5 in Crescent City at which time she was flown to Mercy Hospital in Redding. Her second fall occurred on July 20 in Eureka, and this time she was flown to San Francisco. The combination of the broken hip and femur and the spread of cancer through her whole body made her too weak to fight off the complications of these injuries and cancer. Her family would like to thank Mercy Hospital in Redding, UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital for the excellent skilled care she received.  We would especially like to thank St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka for the compassionate, excellent care she received here at home. The doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, lift team, and other carrying staff were the utmost professionals at all times and yet exhibited the greatest human kindness imaginable to Diane, her family and the many friends that visited her.  Thank you for making our last days with Diane easier to cope with. We would also like to thank Hospice of Humboldt for its assistance in helping the family get through our loss.  We also want to thank the more than 100 family and friends for the multiple visits and many hours that they spent at the hospital to visit Diane and support the family. We received many phone calls and greatly appreciated each and every one.

Diane is survived by her two sons, Ricky Nelson and Cory Nelson of McKinleyville. Her mother, Gloria Shuster and step-father, Del Shuster of McKinleyville,  sister, Linda Ogburn Gillette and husband, Jeff Gillette of Eureka,  brother, Richard Dale Nelson of McKinleyville. She is also survived by her two grandchildren, whom she loved with all of her heart, Dylan Charles Nelson and Trinity Grace Nelson. They fondly referred to her as “Grandma Di Di.” Her most favorite thing was to spend time with her grandchildren and they were everything to her. Diane is survived by her only niece, Barbara Ann Ogburn of Aliso Viejo, Calif. Diane is survived by her paternal aunt, Nita Whitaker of Willow Creek, Calif., with whom they shared a special bond, as Diane was born on her birthday. She is survived by her maternal aunts, Barbara Combs of Naselle, Wash., Barbara Lewis and Joyce Tracy of Hoopa and numerous cousins and other relatives too many to name.

Diane was preceded in death by her father, Darell Eugene Nelson, step-father, Dane Jay, grandparents, Oscar and Eloise Nelson and Ernie Lewis, Hazel Lewis, Alice Lewis, great-grandmother, Libby Harripop Nix, aunt and uncle, Dawn and Ed Ronlund of Crescent City, Ernest (Pete) Lewis, Sr. and Lawrence Tracy of Hoopa, Calif. Great-aunts and uncles, Pete and Florence Beaver, Thomas and Dorothy Nix, George and Edith Hancorne and special cousins, Glenna Beaver, Ernest Lewis, Jr. (Butch) and Sherry Tracy. Diane will now be with her very special friends that she missed very much, Tracy Melendy and Cathy Carmesin. Diane and Cathy can chat for hours on end again.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donation be made to United Indian Health Services, Teen Advisory Group (TAG) at 1600 Weeot Way, Arcata, CA.  95521 or the Humboldt Community Breast Health Project at 987 8th Street, Arcata, CA.  95521.

Honarary Pallbearers are Mike Lewis, Larry Tracy, George Tracy, Frank Tuttle, Darell Whitaker, Dennis Whitaker, Dana Whitaker, George Eugene Lewis, David White, Howard White, Ernie Moser, Skylar Moser, Marshall Moser, Michael Lewis, Koiya Tuttle, Amos Tripp, Alme Allen, Lucas Brug, Dylan Nelson, Ricky Nelson, Cory Nelson, Ernie Prater, Del Shuster, Jeff Gillette. 

Viewing with be on Wednesday, August 17, 2011, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Paul’s Chapel, Arcata. Services will be held at Paul’s Chapel, Arcata, on Thursday, August 18, 2011. A potluck celebration of life will follow the services at Azalea Hall, 1620 Pickett Road, McKinleyville.

— Submitted by Pierce Mortuary