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Obituary: Carita C. (Hilmes) Nelson

December 10, 1917 ~ July 20, 2022

Carita C. Nelson, 104 years of Sturgeon Bay, died Wednesday, July 20, 2022, while residing at Pine Crest Residential Living.

She was born December 10, 1917, in Sheboygan, WI the daughter of Julius F. and Charlotte A. (Stoesser) Hilmes. Carita graduated from Central High School in 1935. She then worked for Sills Photography Studio in Sheboygan as a photographer’s assistant.

On August 19, 1941, she married Lloyd Sherman Nelson in Sheboygan. They moved permanently to Sturgeon Bay in 1946. Lloyd preceded her in death on September 12, 1992.

Carita was a committed Christian and active member of the Sturgeon Bay Moravian Church. She taught Sunday school, was a member of the women’s circle, served on the Board of Elders and Board of Christian Education and was church secretary for many years. She was a reading buddy for many years at Sawyer school. Carita enjoyed doing cross stitch, cooking, and baking, solving crossword and jigsaw puzzles. Carita listened daily to the nightly news, read two newspapers and was eager to engage in conversation about politics, the Brewers and the Packers.

Surviving family are her six children, David Nelson of Chesapeake, VA, Christine (Robert) Stack of Stevens Point, WI, Mary (Clair) Sloan of Hart, MI, Richard (Barbara) Nelson of Sturgeon Bay, Dan (Judy) Nelson of Winston-Salem, NC, Bruce (Nancy) Nelson of Lake Mills, WI; daughter-in-law, Kris Nelson of De Pere; twenty-three grandchildren, twenty-eight great-grandchildren (with the 29th on the way); and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband, Lloyd, she was preceded in death by her son, Paul; three sisters, Florence Wayman, Adeline Kley, and Elizabeth Werner, as well as her parents, Julius and Charlotte Hilmes.

A celebration of Carita’s life will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. at Sturgeon Bay Moravian Church with Rev. Reeder Herrick officiating. Burial will be at Bayside Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Dr. Matthew R. Knapp, Sr. officiating.

Friends may call at the church on Saturday, July 30, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. until the time of service at 2:30 p.m.

Lunch will be served at the church following the funeral service.

With deep appreciation, the family wishes to thank the staff of Pine Crest Village and Unity Hospice who cared for their mother with the utmost kindness and compassion.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Moravian Board of World Mission earmarked for the Ahuas Clinic or to the Sturgeon Bay Moravian Church.

Huehns Funeral Home, Inc. & Door County Crematory LLC in Sturgeon Bay are assisting the Nelson family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Carita may be shared with her family through her tribute page at www.huehnsfuneralhome.com.