Margaret Elizabeth Nielsen

Margaret Elizabeth Nielsen passed away at Columbia Crest Nursing Home on May 15, 2011. Margaret was born in Palmyra, Missouri on June 5th, 1920. She was the oldest of 4 children born to Clarence Edward Beal and Anna Wilhelmina Frohn Beal. When Margaret was 9 ½ years old her family moved to Los Angeles. During her parents married life the Beal’s moved 72 times. She married at a young age to Merrill Franklin Sexton. They were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Virginia Ann, on May 20, 1937. A few years later they divorced and so Margaret worked many different jobs to support her daughter as they moved from California to Albuquerque, New Mexico. There she met David Edward Blanchard and married him. Three years later they moved to Pendleton, Oregon to be closer to his mother. In 1950 they moved to Glendale, California for health reasons. The climate didn’t help and that fall they moved back to Pendleton, OR. This is where Margaret was introduced to the Gospel and she was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on April 22, 1951. Margaret divorced David because he didn’t want to live the Gospel any longer, so she and her daughter moved back to Riverside, CA. Through some mutual friends from Church, Margaret met and later married, Royal George Nielsen. After their first daughter, Ruby Leah was born, they discovered a great opportunity and they moved to Moses Lake, Washington, to homestead and farm in the Columbia Basin. While farming in Moses Lake, the following children were welcomed into their home, Jessica, Renee, Royalyn, and Margaret. With six daughters, Margaret felt there was a need for a boy and when Dr. James Young called, they adopted a son, James Edward. In 1968, Royal became disabled after a back surgery and Margaret became a Sam Andy Dehydrated Foods distributor as well as a Bosch/Magic Mills Sales Representative to help support her family. She then started a flower shop in nearby Warden, WA. She later sold it to a friend and then opened another floral shop in Moses Lake, and she named it, “Royal’s Posy Pantry”. This business name eventually changed into “Moses Lake Floral”. She built this business into the leader in floral service in the entire basin. When all her children had moved on she eventually sold the business and retired. She has been very active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and very much enjoyed working with the youth for many years. Her service in the church and the youth programs had a profound effect on many who now have their own youth in the same programs. She often commented on how her own grandchildren where now friends and classmates of children whose parents she had taught in the youth programs years ago. Several years after their children were raised, Royal and Margaret moved to Medical Lake, WA to be closer to one of their daughters. Royal eventually passed away there in May of 1998 and so Margaret moved to Post Falls, ID in December of 1998 to be near one of her other daughters. Missing friends in Moses Lake and wanting to be closer to where her Royal was, she moved back in the spring of 2007. This also allowed her to be near her son who had moved his family back to Moses Lake, WA. She lived in Hearthstone until February of 2010 when she sustained a fall that required a move to Columbia Crest and Rehabilitation Center. She recovered well and has had wonderful care from the staff there for the last 14 months. Margaret is proceeded in death by her parents, Clarence and Anna Beal; siblings, Dorothy Storey, Frohna Culp, and Clyde Edward Beal; her husband, Royal; daughter, Virginia Ann Sexton Peacock;, granddaughter, Holly Wittig; and grandson, David Peacock. She is survived by children, Ruby Stoker, Liberty Lake, WA; Jessica Lloyd, Denver, CO; Renee Wittig, Denver, CO; Royalyn Andrus, West Jordan, UT; Margaret Dionne, Brunswick, GA; and Jim Nielsen, Moses Lake, WA. Margaret’s progenitors total over 140, including children, spouses, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great, great grandchildren. Kayser’s Chapel of Memories is handling funeral arrangements, viewing will be Sunday evening, May 22nd from 5-7 pm, and Monday morning May 23rd at 9-9:45 am, with the funeral services starting at 10 am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Moses Lake Stake Center on Division Street.

Margaret Elizabeth Nielsen

June 5, 1920 - May 15, 2011