Norma Jean Nielson

Norma Jean (Eckenrode) Nielson, age 89, passed away on February 10, 2026 at the Lakewood Health System in Staples, MN with grace and dignity, surrounded by the love of her family. Norma was born on September 7, 1936 in Mandan, North Dakota to parents Earl and Charlotte (Arndt) Eckenrode. She was raised on a farm in Hazen, ND before she moved with her family to a farm by Sebeka, where she finished school. Norma met Peter J. Nielson, and they were united in marriage on June 6, 1954. They were blessed with 8 children, 3 boys and 5 girls. After they married, they worked as a farm couple in North Dakota for 8 years before moving back to Minnesota. They purchased the farm in North Germany Township, where they farmed and milked cows until starting Nielson’s Greenhouse, which they ran for 28 years before retiring. In March 2024, Norma and her oldest son, Lyle, moved into a two-bedroom apartment at Lakewood Manor in Staples, MN.

Norma was a fierce ‘Mama Bear’ who loved her family with unwavering devotion. She was a woman of many talents. Since she had 5 daughters, she taught herself how to make wedding cakes and ended up making many cakes for family, friends, and people in the community. She excelled at crocheting, quilting, baking, and cooking, but she was known for her potato salad, homemade French dressing, her wedding cake frosting, and caramel rolls (over 1,000 pans). She sewed hundreds of elephants with the Sebeka DAC. She loved playing cards and was a wicked cribbage player. She studied and received a Master Gardner Certificate and used that knowledge when they started the greenhouse. When coming to the greenhouse she welcomed everyone with coffee and cookies. She loved helping select the perfect flowers for your garden. When you left, you were family. She was a long-standing member of the Nimrod Lutheran Church, Mary Martha Guild, Jolly Homemakers, Mid-Minnesota Beef Growers Association, Certified Master Gardner of UMN, Wadena County 4-H Alumni, and Certified Barn Quilts of Central MN.

She will be missed and lovingly remembered by her children: Lyle, of Staples MN; Jeff (Lynn) of Elysian, MN; Gail (Bill) Lewis of Sebeka, MN; Roberta (Vic) Colsen of Osage, MN; Karen (Roman) Bart of Staples, MN; Janice of Elk River, MN; Richard (Kim) of Sebeka, MN; Sarah (Travis) Brown of Sebeka, MN; 18 grandchildren, 36 great-grandchildren, 3 great-great-grandchildren; brother, Richard (Bernice) Eckenrode of Sebeka, MN; sister, Peggy Evenson of Lake Havasu City, AZ; Sister-in-Law, Linda Eckenrode of Saint Maries, ID; many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Peter; great-grandson Cody Wetzel; her sisters, Patricia and Sharon; her brother, Robert; and brothers-in-law, Alvin and Leroy.