Mary D. Nelson
October 23, 1927 — February 13, 2010
Mrs. Mary D. Nelson, 82, of Frederick Maryland, died Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, at Homewood Retirement Community, Frederick Md.
Born Oct. 23, 1927, in Hershey Pa., she was the daughter of the late John Jay Daniel and Katharine Mary Snavely Daniel, cousin of chocolate company founder Milton S. Hershey.
Mrs. Nelson was 1945 Hershey High School and 1947 Hershey Junior College class valedictorian.
She received a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University in 1949, with emphasis on plant genetics, and belonged to the honor society Phi Kappa Phi and the Women's Glee Club. She also studied at Lebanon Valley College, The University of Pennsylvania, Dept. of Army Academy of Health Sciences, Hood College and Frederick Community College.
Mrs. Nelson was employed as associate editor at BIOSIS (then Biological Abstracts) in Philadelphia from 1950 to 1955. From 1963 to 1983, she was employed by the Dept. of the Army at Fort Detrick and Center of Military History in Washington D.C. as technical medical editor, was principal publications editor of numerous books on medical activities of the Army Medical Dept. in World War II and the Vietnam War, the NATO handbook of Emergency War Surgery and other volumes of medical history.
She married George H. Nelson of New York City in 1955 who predeceased her in 1968.
Mrs. Nelson was organist at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church from 1983 to 2000, and studied organ privately with Mr. William Sprigg of Frederick, Md. and AGO Fellow Dr. Dale Krider of Hyattsville, Md.
She was a member of the Central Maryland Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church council in Frederick Maryland, NARFE Chapter 409, AARP, The Sierra Club, Frederick Senior Hiking Group, Derry Township Historical Society and American Mensa Ltd.
Mrs. Nelson was an avid organic gardener, musician and ecologist.
Close relatives include a brother, John J. Daniel Jr., and sister-in law, Mary Lower Daniel of Hummelstown Pa., daughter, Kristy N. Canales of Dale City Va., son-in-law Julian Canales, son John T. Nelson of McLean Va., grandchildren Kelley and Patrick Muldoon, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A daughter, Kim Alexandra Nelson, predeceased her in 1975.
Visitation: See above information
Services: A memorial service will be held 1:00 p.m., Sunday Mar. 28 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Frederick Md. with Pastor Ron Reaves, officiating.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Building Fund or to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America World Hunger Appeal.