Evelyn Louise Nelson
September 3, 1925 — June 25, 2026 | Age 100
Evelyn Louise Nelson was called home to glory on June 25, 2026, in Fort Scott, Kansas, having lived one hundred years marked by unwavering faith, extraordinary love, and a servant’s heart that never rested. She was born on September 3, 1925, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to Reverend Gather Roberson and Estella Roberson, and from her earliest days, the foundation of her life was rooted in God.
Evelyn was educated in Ypsilanti, graduating from Ypsilanti High School before going on to nursing school in Traverse City, Michigan, where she served as President of her class. She went on to work as a dedicated nurse in the post-surgery unit at the University of Michigan Hospital, where her compassion and skill touched the lives of countless patients. It was in those hospital halls that she met Robert Nelson, a radiographer who would become her husband, her partner, and her greatest companion.
On October 2, 1965, Evelyn and Robert were united in holy matrimony at Metropolitan Memorial Baptist Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Together, they built a life grounded in faith, family, and service. Evelyn later stepped away from her nursing career to care for her beloved mother, who came to live with the family, tending to her with the same gentle devotion she had given her patients. She then poured herself fully into her home, her church, and her community.
Evelyn was a woman of deep and abiding faith. She was raised in the church of her father, Second Baptist Church of Ypsilanti, and later became a devoted member of Metropolitan Memorial Baptist Church under the leadership of her brother, Reverend SL Roberson. When she and Robert relocated to Fort Scott, Kansas in the spring of 1997, she joined United Missionary Baptist Church, where she continued her ministry until the end of her life. Across more than fifty years of faithful service, Evelyn taught Sunday school to the youngest children, sang in the Senior Choir, and served on the Missionary Board, visiting the sick and shut-in with prayer, presence, and care.
Beyond the walls of the church, Evelyn’s generosity flowed freely into her community. She read books to elementary school children in Willow Run and in Fort Scott, Kansas, giving the gift of story and imagination to young minds. And she baked, lovingly and tirelessly, filling the homes of families near and far with cakes, cookies, and pies made with her hands and her heart.
Evelyn is survived by her devoted husband of sixty years, Robert Nelson; her six children, Estella Holbrook-Brown, Robert Craig Nelson (Bob Kruzman), Joyce McKelvy (Al McKelvy), Gloria Nelson Walls (Keith Walls), Ronald Nelson, and William Nelson (Melissa Nelson); her goddaughter, Yvonne Johnson; ten grandchildren, Marlon Johnson, Ondria Horton, Chianti Brown, Mishae Rice, Kevin Johnson, Erica McGowan, William Che Brown, Michael McKelvy, Ashley Johnson, and Kennedy Louise Nelson; and seventeen great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Reverend Gather Roberson and Estella Roberson, and her beloved siblings, Reverend SL Roberson, Reverend Gather Roberson, Walter Roberson, Harold Roberson, and Garthonia Roberson.
Evelyn Louise Nelson lived Proverbs 20:7 in full: “The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.” She set an example not only for her children, but for every life she touched, and the blessing of her legacy will be felt for generations to come.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow at the U.S. National Cemetery in Fort Scott, Kansas. The family will receive friends from 10:00 A.M. until service time.
Memorials are suggested to the Robert & Evelyn Nelson Scholarship Fund at Fort Scott Community College and may be left in care of Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted online at cheneywitt.com.
