Betty Lou (Qual) Nelson

Betty Lou (Qual) Nelson was born on November 13, 1931, to her parents, Otis C. and Cora E. (Hitchcock) Qual, on the family farm in Big Bend Township, North Dakota. She attended a rural school for her elementary education and graduated from Lisbon High School in 1948. She attended North Dakota State University and St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Fargo, North Dakota, prior to her marriage to Donald Felix Nelson on August 14, 1950, in Webster, South Dakota. They lived in Lisbon, Fairmount, and Jamestown, North Dakota. Over the years, Betty worked as a bookkeeper and secretary for Lisbon Mobile Milling, Fairmount Implement, Miracle Propane Gas Co., James River Bank, and Hjellum, Weiss, et al., all in Jamestown. In 1976, she returned to St. Luke’s School of Nursing and obtained her nursing degree. She was employed at St. Luke’s Hospital until 1979, when she returned to Lisbon and worked at Lisbon Memorial Nursing Home as a staff nurse. She later served as administrator of Lisbon Memorial Nursing Home. In 1992, she married Gene Johnson and worked part-time as a staff nurse until her retirement in 2001. After retiring, she moved to be closer to her children and most recently settled in Surprise, Arizona, in 2020. She is survived by her five children: Julie (John) Townsend of Surprise, Arizona; Dwight (Sharon) Nelson of Camdenton, Missouri; Renee (Ron) Meyer of Surprise, Arizona; Tim (Linda) Nelson of White Rock, New Mexico; and Lance (Cheryl) Nelson of Lincoln, Nebraska. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren: Jenni Townsend (Jared Knott), Joelle (Tim) Lattimer, Jamie (Roger) Sheets, Katie Nelson, Jeff Nelson, Melissa (Adam) Larson, Kristin (David) Lebovic, Leigh (Scott) Huyvaert, Kayla Nelson, Ben (Lauren) Nelson, Emily Nelson, and Madeline Nelson; and 17 great-grandchildren. Betty was preceded in death by her parents; three brothers, Arlie Qual, Louis Qual, and Ralph Qual; and four sisters, Beatrice Qual, Dorothy Qual, Delores Qual, and Marjorie Vagneur. Betty passed away on June 2, 2026, in Surprise, Arizona. Her Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisbon, North Dakota. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Trinity Lutheran Church.