Obituary of Elizabeth R. Nelson

Elizabeth R. Nelson, Ph.D., 76, of South Orange, N.J., died on Jan. 7, 2012, in Kindred Hospital, Wayne, N.J. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass at Our Lady Of Sorrows Church, 217 Prospect St, South Orange, on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 9:30 a.m. Interment is in Hollywood Memorial Park, Union, N.J. Visitation will be held at the Preston Funeral Home, 153 South Orange Ave., South Orange, on Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. For more information or to send condolences, please visit prestonfuneralhome.net Born in Bayonne, N.J., Dr. Nelson was formerly of Bayonne and had lived in South Orange for 44 years. She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Seton Hall University, and her Ph.D. from Fordham University. Dr. Nelson worked at St. Peter's College, Jersey City, N.J., from the 1980s until retiring in 2010, where she was the chair of the English Department and an English professor. She was a lifelong avid reader and dedicated patron of the South Orange Public Library, and a longtime volunteer reading for the blind at EIES of New Jersey. Dr. Nelson was an active parishioner at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, where she was a lector and Eucharistic minister, and volunteer for the Interfaith Hospitality Network. She was a longtime member of East Central American Society for 18th-Century Studies (EC/ASECS), a contributor to the Society's newsletter, and a presenter at several of the Society's conferences. She was the beloved wife of the late Allan Nelson; devoted mother of Christopher Nelson, Anna Nelson and Margaret Rego; dear sister of Mary Brown, Andrew and Joseph Muller; also survived by four grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations to South Orange Public Library, 65 Scotland Rd., South Orange N.J. 07079, or EIES of New Jersey, 59 Scotland Rd., South Orange, N.J. 07079 would be appreciated.