Yvonne Bernadette Nelson

Yvonne's service can be watched on Holy Family Catholic Church Facebook page.

Yvonne Genereux was born on September 10, 1937, in Terrebonne, MN to Harmidas and Agnes Genereux. She passed away as the sun rose on September 15, 2025, at Edgewood Assisted Living Memory Care Unit in south Grand Forks after walking the heartbreaking journey of Alzheimer’s dementia for over three years.

Yvonne grew up on the family farm in Brooks, MN. She has memories of gathering eggs from the chickens that her family raised and delivering them to families around town. She also recalls helping her mom milk cows and distribute bottled milk and cream in town as well. Remembering her teen years, Yvonne recalled that her dad and mom really liked to dance, so they would push all of the furniture to the edges of the living room and invite people over to their house for a week-end night of dancing and home-cooked food. It was small-town living at its very best!

Yvonne graduated high school from St Joseph’s Academy in Crookston, MN in 1955. She worked evenings and weekends at Villa St Vincent in Crookston to pay for her high school tuition and living expenses and shared a rented room with her sister Marcella. They were a Catholic family, and her parents hoped that at least one of the Genereux sisters would enter the convent, but it wasn’t going to be Yvonne!

In the summer following graduation, future brother-in-law Pete Kaiser introduced Yvonne to Ivan Nelson from Crookston, MN, his good friend home on leave from the Navy. Pete was dating Yvonne’s sister Marcella. Ivan and Yvonne’s first date was roller skating and dancing at the Maple Lake Pavillion in Mentor, MN. After that first date, Yvonne told any other men asking her out that she had fallen for a man that looked great in his navy ‘whites’ and she was off the market.

Ivan returned to duty and was stationed in the Philippines and Japan and was honorably discharged on November 22, 1955. It wasn’t until decades later that the daily love letters that Ivan had meticulously written in perfect penmanship to Yvonne were discovered in a basement trunk, neatly wrapped in a red ribbon. They were written in anticipation of their wedding day on April 7, 1956. Yvonne and Ivan were to be married in St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Red Lake Falls, MN. There was a blizzard that day and Yvonne’s brother Gilbert had to carry her through the snow drifts from the car into the church in her wedding dress. The ceremony, dinner and dance all came off as planned.

A few months later, Ivan and Yvonne moved to Grand Forks and began to raise a family of six children-Greg, Kathy, Pam, Michael, Lori and Patrick. Ivan and Yvonne worked hard and owned and operated several successful businesses in the community during the next 50 years. But Yvonne always viewed the successful businesses as secondary. Her family was the reason that she rose early every day and worked late into the evening. She kept a notebook on her kitchen counter, planned the daily household chores a week in advance and was the ultimate organizer.

In their early married years, while living on South 16th Street and Clover Drive, Yvonne and Ivan would rotate having Saturday night neighborhood house parties in their basements-much like the living room dances that her parents hosted in their living room in her teen years.

As her children grew, Yvonne became more active in their activities and became involved in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, and never missed a choir or band concert or a parent-teacher conference. Ivan and Yvonne built a home on nearby Union Lake so that the entire family would have a place to gather and enjoy time together on weekends. She and Ivan were charter members of Holy Family Catholic Church, attending Sunday mass every week of their married lives. Yvonne also served in the Holy Family Altar Society, was a Eucharistic Minister and was a 35-year member of the “Goodbye Girls”- the women’s group that provided lunches after every funeral service at Holy Family. There were many times in Yvonne’s life when she stepped in to help take care of a sick child or grandchild. Growing up, each child cherished their special time with Grandma-it usually meant a special trip to the toy store or a Happy Meal at McDonald’s! After all of her children had moved into middle and high school, Yvonne found that she had some free time and could get out with friends and spend time helping others out in the community. She enjoyed years of bowling with lifelong friends Eva Buckmeier and Mary Joyce. Another source of pride for Yvonne were over 30 years as a volunteer at Altru Hospital-first by transferring patients to physical therapy appointments within the hospital and then as a 25-year volunteer in Altru’s Gift Shop. She got to know staff so well that she would have their favorite candy bar or gum ready for them seconds after walking through the front door.

Ivan retired from daily work in 2009, due to illness, and Yvonne lost the only love of her life on June 24, 2012. They had been married for 56 years, and in all of the years they were together, Ivan had never missed a chance to send Yvonne red roses for every Valentine’s Day, wedding anniversary and birthday. On September 10, 2012, Yvonne had a knock at her front door and the florist was delivering a dozen red roses-the card was signed “Happy Birthday, I Love You, Ivan”. Ivan had passed away three months before that. Knowing his health was failing, Ivan had ordered her birthday flowers in April-at the same time he ordered flowers to celebrate their anniversary, and they arrived right in time for her birthday!

Yvonne was heartbroken at the passing of her lifelong love. She continued to be involved in her church and helped to celebrate the milestones in the lives of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. A few years ago, Yvonne’s family noticed signs of failing memory and eyesight and she made the decision to move into the assisted living facility at Edgewood here in Grand Forks.

Dementia is one of the cruelest of diseases, robbing its victims of dignity, precious memories and a future. Yvonne was fortunate to have children and grandchildren close by to help in her care. Daughter Kathy, granddaughter Amy and grandson Nick made sure that she got to church, to the nail and hair salons and to all of her doctor appointments in her final years. Family and staff will remember that even on Yvonne’s worst days, she still took a moment to say “thank you” when someone helped her in any way.

Yvonne is survived by her children: Greg (Julie) Nelson, Kathy Nieuwsma, Pam (Dean) Kreitinger, Michael (Lisa) Nelson, Lori (Rich Amos) Nelson and daughter-in-law Lori (Jeff Wirtz) Nelson; grandchildren: Jeffrey (Christina) Nieuwsma, Amy (Dan) Seidel, Julie (Russ) Nieuwsma, Brandon (Kerri) Kreitinger, Chad (Lauren) Kreitinger, Jill (Dan) Eberhard, Nicole (Jason) Schumacher, Ben Rowerdink, Taylor Rowerdink, Brooke Carlson, Alyssa Nelson, Tony (Mikayla) Nelson, Tyler (Maria) Nelson, Nicholas (Miranda) Nelson, Corey (Tina) Kaltenberg, Shawn (Amanda) Kaltenberg, Tiffany (Allen) Neiss, Lauren (Carson) Taylor; and great grandchildren: Emma and Laurel Nelson, Reagan and Kellan Schumacher, Elise, Quinn, Lainey, and Parker Eberhard, Hugh and Chip Kreitinger, Asher, Auggie and Scottie Kreitinger, Maverick and Alison Seidel, Mila and Reagan Nieuwsma, Jadyn (Kordell), Jaley, Jayse, Jamey, and Jalyn Barclay, Aubrey Schmaltz, and Lily and Logan Kaltenberg. Yvonne is also survived by one of her siblings: Marcella Kaiser (Peter); brother-in-law Vern (Jeanette) Nelson; sisters-in-law Candace (Greg) Aamold, Marilyn Remme and Cheryl Grove; along with many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ivan; son, Patrick; daughter-in-law Debra; grandson Michael James (MJ); sisters, Gloria Genereux (infant), Arlene Paxton, Carolyn Donahue, Janice Fortier and Luella Liychik; brother, Gilbert Genereux; brothers-in-law, Lawrence Donahue, Ronald Fortier, Michael Liychik, Ray Nelson, Roy Nelson, and Gene Nelson.

Yvonne’s family would like to thank Kimberly Peterson and the caring staff in the Memory Care Unit at Edgewood Senior Living, Rebecca Kreis GNP at Legacy Medical, Kiley at Hearts in Action Hospice and especially Amy Seidel at Home Care Companions for Yvonne’s excellent care while she was with them, especially in the final very difficult weeks.

Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:30 am on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at Holy Family Church, with visitation beginning at 9:30 am. In lieu of flowers, and at Yvonne’s request, memorials can be given in her name to Holy Family St. Mary’s School, 1001 17th Avenue South, Grand Forks, ND 58201.