Obituary of Dolores Nelson

Dolores June Beaufait was born on June 5, 1934 in Toledo. She was one of six children born from the union of the late Wilbur and Florence (DeVerna) Beaufait. Dee was a 1953 graduate of Ida High School. She was self-sufficient, an extremely hard worker, proudly busting her butt daily to raise four children. She never wanted to ask for help, but would always rather tackle a project on her own. Dee provided for her family working nearly twenty-five years, on the assembly line for Ford Motor Company. She retired in 1997. As a young girl, Dolores learned to be a seamstress. She loved to sew and used this skill as an additional way to help supplement her income in the early 80's, and it led her sewing abilities to be well-known in the Erie community. Dee had a wonderful sense of humor and sometimes at her own expense. She actually relished at the harmless poking, always responding with a laugh, and replying, "Glad you had a good time at my expense". Dolores enjoyed sports and was an avid follower of basketball, football and baseball. She loved her Detroit teams - the Pistons, Tigers, and Lions. Her favorite pastime though was playing euchre. She visited the Water Tower Senior Center in Luna Pier and the PRCUA Club in Toledo happily playing three to four times each week. Family being the most important to Dolores, she prided herself on keeping up with her grandchildren and their activities. Dee was also very proud of each and every one of her grandchildren's educational accomplishments. Dolores, age 81 of Erie, passed away at ProMedica Toledo Hospital on Thursday, December 31, 2015. In addition to her parents, her passing was preceded by two sons: James Nelson Jr. and Terry Nelson; and a brother: Henry "Hank" Beaufait. To cherish her memory she leaves a daughter: Dawn Tscherne (Rick Kiessling) of Erie; a son: Randy (Autumn) Plotner of Houston, Texas; two daughters-in-law: Julie Nelson of Erie and Kim Nelson of Luna Pier; a brother: Russ (Angie) Beaufait; three sisters: Sue Buford, Carol Carsner, and Ann Fleck; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Friends may gather from 2:00pm until 8:00pm on January 4, 2016 at Merkle Funeral Service, 9156 Summit Street in Erie (734) 848-5185. A Celebration of Her Life will take place at 11:00am on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, also at Merkle's with Chaplain Dan Waters of St. Charles Mercy Hospital officiating. Procession will follow to Roselawn Memorial Park in LaSalle for burial. Online guests may leave words of inspiration and comfort by visiting www.merklefs.com and then selecting the Online Tributes page.