Darlene Rae (Nutzman) Wilson

Darlene Rae (Nutzman) Wilson daughter of William V. and Hansel B. Saxton Nutzman was born in Spencer, IA on March 30 1931. She entered into God’s Kingdom on January 20, 2022.

Funeral Services will be 2:00 p.m., Monday February 21, 2022 at the United Methodist Church, Bemidji.  A time of sharing will be held at the Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, February 20, 2022. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery, Wilton.

Darlene, at a very early age, moved with her family from Iowa to St. Cloud in 1932 where her parents operated the Granite City Bakery. She attended Franklin Elementary School till it closed and then went to Wilson Elementary. In 1941 she moved again with her family to St. Paul where she attended Edgerton School and then Johnson High where she made many good friends. In 1946, she along with her family moved again, this time to Bemidji where she spent the rest of her life except for a very short time in Waukegan, IL. She attended Bemidji High School and graduated June 3, 1949 with the class of 49er’s. After graduation, she worked for a while at the Rite Way Café and then for the Red Owl Store. On October 12, 1952 she married Romaine G. Wilson of Bemidji, who was the love of her life. They lived for a while in Waukegan, IL where Romaine went to school at the Great Lakes Naval Base. When he left for overseas duty Darlene came back to Bemidji to live. There were four children born to this marriage, 3 daughters and 1 son, who were very important and precious to Darlene. She enjoyed being a wife and mother first and her occupation as a homemaker. During her life, she loved to go fishing, playing cards, traveling, and pets but her greatest passion was her gardening. While her family was growing up, she did a lot of canning from their huge vegetable garden and then in later years it became one large flower garden. She was called by some in town as the “Flower Lady”. She loved working in her yard and garden, and with her son they started many of the plants themselves. Darlene belonged to the United Methodist Church all her life. She was a lifetime member of the American Legion Auxiliary and served in many capacities. For many years she was a member of the Eckles Homemakers Club and then the Red Hat Deva’s. She was also a Twin’s fan and enjoyed watching the games on T.V. or listening to them on the radio.

She is survived by her loving husband of 69 years; daughters, Nancy Kay Charon of Ramsey daughter, Barbara Jo (Rick) Willberg and son, William George Wilson both of Bemidji; sister, Donna Mae Wilson of Bemidji; 7 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by daughter, Connie Rae; her parents; 2 brothers and 2 sons-in-law.

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