Martha Nelson

MARTHA METTIE NELSON

Born July 24, 1940

Died February 5, 2024

Martha Mettie Brown was born on July 24, 1940, during the Depression, to Joe and Rosie Brown in Grand Junction, Colorado. She was the third of seven children. Their family was so poor, they lived on an island in the river in a tent for a time. They were called "the island family" by the locals.

Martha graduated high school in 1958 from Central High School in Grand Junction. She married Doyle Nelson in 1959, when he walked in to her house and threw an engagement ring at her. He asked, 'Well, are you coming or not?" To which she replied, "Where are we going?" He answered, "To get married that's where!" She followed him out, climbed onto the back of his motorcycle, and they never looked back.

The started their marriage in Minturn, Colorado, and that's where they had Tracy and Pam. They lived there a few years and then moved to Prospect Valley, where they adopted Joe, finishing out their family. In 1969, Doyle was transferred by his job to Greeley, Colorado, where they raised their family.

In June of 1969, while they lived in Prospect Valley, Martha and Doyle decided to take the kids to California. On the way, they stopped in Grand Junction to visit Martha's family. There was a brother from the church holding meetings and they invited Doyle and Martha to attend. They stayed for all of the meetings, and both were baptized at the end of the week, becoming members of the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn. They didn't make it to California.

Through the years they grew in their faith. Martha was very instrumental in her husband's ministry, going with him on preaching trips, as well as supporting Doyle when he was ordained an elder, along with Bro Jim Britton, in the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn in 1985. She thrived on hosting the brethren in her home through the years. Martha and Doyle brought their friends, Butch and Sue Crowley to church, and soon they both were baptized. Eventually Butch was ordained an elder at the Stillwater, Oklahoma church.

Martha worked several jobs in those early years, such as at Central Homes building mobile home cabinets, at Samsonite building suitcases, and selling Avon for many years to her many acquaintances. But most rewarding was when she and Doyle became foster parents. They did this for 21 years, and in 1993 won the Foster Parents of the Year award. They made a difference in many lives.

After Martha lost Doyle in 2001, she followed her daughter Pam to Oklahoma, where she lived until 2006. She lived in Yale, Oklahoma, where she met and grew to love many brethren.

In 2006, she started volunteering for the hospital. She worked in the gift shop for one year, and then moved to the information desk. She loved walking people to the different areas, saying it was a hard place to find one's way around.

Martha loved traveling. When Doyle was alive they traveled many places, mostly to see the brethren. After he was gone, she traveled to Branson, Missouri several times with her siblings, and she was able to take several cruises.

Martha loved garage sales and bargain hunting. Many Friday and Saturday mornings were taken up by the women piling into her car and hitting all the local garage sales. She would ask Joe to go down through the list in the newspaper and put them in order by addresses so that navigation was done efficiently, allowing more time for shopping.

Martha was an avid game player. She taught us all how to play Rummikub, Canasta, and many different Dominoes games. Sundays at the Nelson house were filled with the smells of her yummy beef stew and the women sitting around the kitchen table playing games, with the sound of football games playing on the TV in the background. When she lived at Birchwood Apartments after she moved back from Oklahoma, she would gather the residents in the dining hall and play Dominoes and cards for hours.

Martha had many things she would say that made us all laugh. For example, 'l could just slap you', 'l will knock your head off', 'such an idiot', and 'if that was my kid, I would knock their head off'. We knew she wasn't serious; it was just her way. She was definitely one of a kind and will be greatly missed.

Martha is survived by her daughters, Tracy (Paul) Kindred, Pam (David) Pittser, son, Joe (Kortney) Nelson, as well as Rosie Martinez, Noche

Molina, Henry Espinosa, grandchildren, Joey Kindred, Jordan Kindred, Andy Kindred, Kyndra Pittser, Cody Pittser, Justin (Megan) Nelson, Katie Nelson, JJ Molina, Jacob Molina, and many great grandchildren, as well as brothers, Louis Brown, Clarence (Terry) Ratliff, and Lonnie Brown, her sister, Josephine Raff, and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Rosie Brown, her husband, Doyle Nelson, granddaughter, Jaime Pittser, brothers, Earl Brown and Leonard Brown.