Betty Darlene Nelson

Betty Darlene Tweiten was born on August 4, 1934, to Christian E. Tweiten and Gina (Braseth) Tweiten. She was the youngest of seven children, five daughters and two sons. She was raised on the original Elias Tweiten family homestead that was located six miles west of Ulen, MN, at what locals referred to as, Tweiten’s Corner. Betty was no stranger to hard work on the farm. She milked cows twice a day and helped her mother raise chickens. She often talked about what it was like growing up on the farm, and she was very proud of her family’s Norwegian heritage and their roots as early settlers in Ulen.

Betty was baptized and confirmed at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ulen. She attended country school in Hagen township and then graduated from Ulen High School in 1952. After graduation, she moved to Fargo and attended business classes at Interstate Business College. While working at Massey Ferguson in the early 1950’s, Betty met the love of her life, Gerald (Jerry) Nelson of Fargo. They were united in marriage on June 11, 1955 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ulen. With the advancement of Jerry’s career at Massey, they moved to Billings, MT, Racine, WI, Denver, CO, and Kansas City, MO. They moved back to Aurora after Jerry’s retirement in 1993 to be near their daughters and grandchildren.

Betty and Jerry were the proud parents of three daughters, Tami, Peggy, and Terri. She was a homemaker her entire life, and she was always busy taking care of their daughters. She was an expert seamstress, and there wasn’t anything she couldn’t sew, repair, or design. She started her own custom home drapery and window treatment business after learning the trade from her older sister. She made custom draperies for customer’s homes for over 30 years. Betty was also an excellent cook and loved throwing parties and entertaining family and friends. No one ever left Betty’s house hungry, there was always plenty to go around, and an empty seat at the table for whoever would show up. Betty and Jerry loved to can pickles, tomatoes, and peaches every year. Jerry was an avid gardener, and he made sure that they were always well stocked every season.

Betty loved to travel and visit with extended family. She and Jerry made several cross-country trips to the east and west coast and every state in between. Betty especially loved to go back to Ulen every summer for Turkey BBQ. It was the highlight of her year to be able to stay with her sister and visit old friends and family that still lived in and around Ulen. It was always a sibling reunion every summer when the whole family would come back to Ulen for Turkey BBQ. While in Ulen, Betty enjoyed playing Bingo and going to Mahnomen to play the slot machines. Back home in Colorado, Betty and Jerry often went to Blackhawk to try their luck at the slots and to hit it big. Some trips to Blackhawk were more profitable than others! Reading cookbooks and crafting were a couple of her favorite pastimes. She liked to go to the thrift store every Saturday, to see what bargains she could score. In later years, she enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles and playing the slot machines on her iPad. Betty loved celebrating the holidays each year. She would bake and decorate many kinds of Christmas cookies, and she would also make Norwegian lefse, just like how her mother taught her to.

Betty’s pride and joy were her two grandchildren and her two great-grandchildren. She loved to attend their sporting and school events. She loved spending time with the kids and watching them grow.

In a few words, Betty’s life was dedicated to her family and friends, and it was a life well lived. She will be forever loved and forever missed.

Betty is survived by three daughters, Tami Drozt (Rob) of Maricopa, AZ, Peggy Nelson of Denver, CO and Terri Nelson of Aurora, CO; Grandson Nick (Stephanie) Brooks, Great-Grandson Jaxon Brooks and Great-Granddaughter Kendall Brooks all of Parker, CO; Granddaughter Jordan (Robert) Jimenez of Phoenix, AZ; close family friend Mark Ingles of Colorado Springs, CO and many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents Christian and Gina Tweiten, her husband of 63 years, Jerry Nelson, and all her siblings: Gladys (Ted) Haug, Luverne Tweiten, Evelyn (Walter) Bernsdorf, Raymond (Virginia) Tweeten, Myrtle (Kermit) Sather and Delores Hilde, brother-in-law Richard (Rachel) Nelson and sister- in- law Kay (Jerry) Flom.

Viewing services for Betty will be held on Monday, November 25th starting at 12:30-1:30pm, followed by the funeral service from 1:30-2:30 and a reception with light refreshment from 2:30-4:30 at Olinger Chapel Hill Mortuary & Cemetery, 6601 South Colorado Blvd, Centennial, CO 80121.

Burial for Betty will be on November 29th from 2:00-2:20pm at Fort Logan National Cemetery 4400 W Kenyon Ave Denver, CO 80236

Donations in Betty’s name can be made to the nonprofit Colorado Visiting Nurse Association Donate | Colorado Visiting Nurse Association https://vnacolorado.org/