Katherine Irene Nielsen Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Katherine Irene (Swanson) Nielsen was born in Storm Lake, Iowa on November 7th, 1961, as the fifth child of nine to Darrell and Elizabeth (Blume) Swanson. She was raised in Fonda, Iowa until 1966 when the family moved to Denison, IA to the first house built by Darrell on 24th Street. In 1976, the family relocated to the second home built by Darrell on the property the family called Four Winds, also located in Denison. Katherine was known in her early years as the “quiet one.” She enjoyed reading and often times was seen with a book in her hands. During the summertime, she enjoyed going back to Fonda and spending time with her grandparents, Lloyd and Alma Blume, where she helped at the family Gamble Store and was compensated for her work with her choice of candy. She also enjoyed family vacations to Battle Lake, Minnesota and Yellowstone National Park. Katherine attended Denison Community Schools. Later in life, she obtained a bachelor’s degree with honors from Buena Vista University on May 23rd, 2015, majoring in Criminology and minoring in Technology Management. Both fields of which she was very passionate about. Katherine enjoyed many things in life: cheering on the Hawkeyes on football Saturdays and exercising on a regular basis including Jazzercise and frequent walks on the Yellowsmoke trail. She enjoyed all varieties of music and singing at family gatherings. Later in life, she was instrumental in helping serve as a medical advocate for Darrell during his illness. During that time, she also communicated his needs and condition to rest of the family. She also served as a caretaker and helped Elizabeth at Four Winds after the passing of Darrell. When asked Katherine was also very resourceful with helping friends and family research various topics. Her favorite topics to research were in the medical field. During her last few summers, Katherine enjoyed traveling to Spencer to visit her sister Cheryl and spending time together in Cheryl’s pool. Katherine enjoyed most being a mother to her three children. Katherine dedicated her life to being a homemaker and raising her children. She loved to attend her children’s various activities such as Josh’s Grand View basketball games, Tiffany’s dance recitals and show choir performances, and Nate’s high school track meets and football games. She was preceded in death by her father, Darrell, and her sister Cheryl (Swanson) Riley. Katherine is survived by her children; Josh (Alison) Nielsen of Huxley, IA; Tiffany (Aaron) Nelson of Denison, IA; Nathaniel (Brianna) Nielsen of Denison, IA; 4 grandchildren, Caitlin Nelson of Denison, IA; Teagen and Kallie Nielsen of Huxley, IA; Quinn Nielsen of Denison, IA; mother Elizabeth Swanson of Ankeny, IA; siblings Alan (Victoria) Swanson of Ankeny, IA; Rita Swanson of Denison, IA; Roxanne (Robert) Townsend of Denison, IA; John (Judy) Swanson of Grimes, IA; Joy Plattner of Omaha, NE; Lori (Mark) O’Meara of West Des Moines, IA; Janice Swanson of Portland, OR; brother-in-law Dan Riley of Spencer, IA.

Katherine Irene Nielsen

November 7, 1961 - July 30, 2022