A woman described as “the heart and soul” of Brownsville was remembered during a memorial service on Sunday, Feb. 16.
Hundreds turned out to celebrate the life of Marilyn “Joni” Nelson at Central Linn Rec Center, and share stories of how she touched their lives.
“Today we’re going to celebrate as a community,” said Pastor Warren Light. “We are going to remember that love reigns, because Joni was full of love – and also full of real, good mischief.”
Coming out of Laguna Beach, Nelson, along with her husband William “Ace” Nelson, planted their roots in Brownsville some time in the late 1970s and began building a legacy that would affect many.
Linda McCormick and Tishana “Tika” Harrison completed each other’s sentences as they tried to explain what made Joni Nelson so special to the community.
“The heart and soul of Brownsville is right here,” McCormick said about Nelson. “There was something about Joni that made all of us feel like we were –”
“– a big part of the town without being a big part of the town,” Harrison finished.
“– that we could do things,” McCormick added. “She made us all feel like we could do anything.”
“She just created so much for Brownsville and had her foothold in building what this town is today,” Harrison said.
During the memorial service, Nelson was described as a feisty woman filled with vibrancy and warmth. Friends said she always had an open door, always made people feel included and always made sure her neighbors were volunteering.
One story revealed one of Nelson’s forthright tactics. When she realized there was a new resident in Brownsville, Nelson approached her and said, “All of us volunteer in this town, so what are you going to do?”
Friends shared stories about Nelson encouraging them to join her in group-meets for meditation, coffee dates, “goat time” and art, or howling at the moon during New Year, among other gatherings. She regularly welcomed people into her home, and regularly mingled with friends out in nature.
“She was our warm blanket when we needed it and always the gregarious glue that connected so many of us to each other and to our very special community,” said Kathleen Swayze.
Nelson was described as a connector, a leader, a tree-planter, a cheerleader, an artist, a friend. She was always welcoming, and pulled people into her adventures, her town projects and her silliness. According to Amanda Hayworth, she was “an example of how to live your life and care for people.”
The mother of three (and step-mother to another three) had a background in English, fine art, set and costume design, and grant writing and research, which proved useful for her work as a founding board member of numerous organizations, including the Linn County Historical Museum, Carriage Me Back and restoration of the Moyer House.
“She organized all of us,” Light said. “If we were sheep, she was the sheep dog. She worked tirelessly to improve and enhance Brownsville, but she also did that for our families and our relationships.”
During her lifetime Nelson enjoyed camping, skiing, surfing and backpacking. She notably was among the first females allowed to surf in tandem during the First International Tandem Surfing Contest in 1954, earning first place with her partner Walter Hoffman.
Nelson valued community, nature, activism, sustainability and the welfare of families, and she would talk with her pastor about how she could help people get along.
“How do I get these two people to like each other?” Nelson would ask Light. “How do I get these two people to not confront each other and be cruel to each other? How do I tell somebody that they need to do something to make space for somebody that doesn’t feel comfortable in my community?”
Winnie Barron recalled the time she first laid eyes on Nelson shortly after moving to Brownsville some 40-plus years ago. Barron made a trip to the local hardware store where she encountered a man (Ace) with a large goat that had tennis balls on its horns. A little later, Barron witnessed a petite woman enter, give Ace a loving look, then pick up a pot and proceed to scoop goat pellets – which had made their way onto the floor – into the pot. The woman (Joni) then gave the pot to the store owner and planted a kiss on Ace’s cheek.
Upon seeing this, Barron told herself, “I’ve got to know these people.”
It became clear during the memorial service that stories of Nelson’s presence in the community are just glimpses or snapshots, remaining bits and pieces of the vastness of Nelson’s influence over so many lives in a small town. It became clear that the memories won’t ever do justice to the reality of her true work, but they linger on like seeds planted in beings who continue walking forward in this world.
Nelson passed away just eight days after celebrating her 90th birthday with more than 100 friends and family members.
According to Light, Nelson said she wanted her memory to live on by others valuing and caring for each other because she wanted everyone to have a place in the world.
“Please take that feisty peace-making, that heart full of love, and give your best to each other in Joni’s name,” Light said.
