Karen E. Nelson

March 4, 1946 - April 1, 2014

Wilton, New York Karen E. Nelson entered her eternal rest on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at Saratoga Hospital with her loving husband and family by her side following a valiant and lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 68 years young. Born on March 4, 1946 in Manhattan, she was the only child born to Elenore and the late Herbert Storrier. She grew up in Garden City, Long Island and attended H. Frank Carey High School where she was a very vocal, well liked and involved student. She was a member of the Senior Choir, (president) many theatrical productions (“Finian’s Rainbow”), F.T.A. - Future Teachers of America (treasurer), Pirettes (kickline/dance team), G.A.A. - Girls’ Athletic Association, The Carey Clipper (school paper) and Iota Kappa Chi. Shortly after graduation Karen began working for the New York Telephone Company. She married, moved out to Hauppauge, built her first home and raised her children. On May 12, 1978, she married William (Bill) Nelson. They too built a home in Hauppauge as to not to disrupt her children’s education. Karen was a lifelong learner with a wide variety of interests and took many an adult education class to nurture these curiosities. She retired from NY Telephone, located in Port Jefferson in 1997. Once retired, Karen and Bill relocated to Orange Park, Florida. They then moved back to New York to be near their grandchildren, as they were the lights of her life. Eager to learn about her new locale, she became a real estate agent and sold properties. Karen was a girlie girl and very creative. She had an innate talent for interior decorating. Her home was often complimented by visitors, family and friends. She loved to create. She gifted ceramic pieces, enjoyed making seasonal and decorative wreaths, and found solace in painting. Karen loved Halloween and Christmas. She delighted in finding the perfect gift for those she loved. She liked to travel, and enjoyed many cruises and vacations to Hawaii. She enjoyed finding hidden gems while antiquing, trying out new recipes. Her favorite activity was caring for her grandkids; babysitting, going to soccer, baseball or football games, plays, dance recitals, really just spending time with them and letting them know how special they were to her. As in life and death, the last thing Karen did was to help others. She donated her eyes so that another could have a chance to see the world as she did; filled with beauty. Karen is survived by her husband of 35 years William, her daughter Meredith (Robert) Amberger of Wilton, her son Michael Thiel of South Glens Falls, her mother, Elenore Storrier of Saratoga Springs, her stepchildren Russ (Jeanie) Nelson, Debbie Palun, Dave (Lisa) Nelson, Randy Nelson, her five grandchildren Marlies Amberger, Kevin Amberger, Jonathan Skelly, James Thiel and Emily Thiel, and several cousins that she adored and treated as siblings. Viewing will be held on Friday from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 pm April 04, 2014 at Tunison Funeral Home 105 Lake Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. A rite of Christian burial will be at St. James Lutheran church on Saturday at 10:00 am and burial will follow at Pineview Cemetery in Queensbury at 12:00 pm. She was preceded in death by her father and her grandparents. The family would like to thank Dr. Eric Pillimer, Donna Boss and the staff at Glens Falls Hospital Cancer Center as well as her dedicated and super supportive, cohesive, hospice team at Saratoga County Community Hospice, as well as the ICU/3rd floor nursing staff at Saratoga Hospital. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Karen can be made to the Double H Ranch, (a camp for kids and teens, ages 6 to 16, with critical illnesses), 97 Hidden Valley Road, Lake Luzerne, NY 12846 www.doublehranch.org Arrangements are entrusted to Tunison Funeral Home, Inc., 105 Lake Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Online condolences can be made at www.tunisonfuneralhome.com