Rose Mary Nelson’s contagious laughter travels around the room, any room, that she is in. Her husband Wayne and his kind, observant eyes are never far from the echo of her joyful English accent. If there is a community service opportunity nearby, these two have most likely participated. Rose Mary and Wayne embody their philosophy of a life of service, and in turn are embraced by their community.
The two met in London in August of 1956, enjoying just a few wartime dates, and writing letters. It is an iconic story of living in a time when writing letters back and forth was the means of communication between a young woman in London and an American soldier in living in Paris.
A few years after they were married, they moved to the United States. They would raise three children living around various Military Bases, and Wisconsin would be their first stop. “I had never seen outdoor toilets!” Rose Mary laughs and smiles, as she remembers her startling introduction to the United States. Later, living in Oklahoma, Rose Mary would learn about the sun bleaching clothes (not a problem in London), and the fierceness of dust storms.
Over the years, the Nelsons have held many jobs. Wayne was in the military, working for the township, as a self-proclaimed garbage guy, humbly downplaying the fact that he created the Grayling Recycling Center that serves the town to this day. Wayne was a key person in developing and maintaining the Grayling Charter Township Nature Park, former Disk Golf course, and playground near the Fish Hatchery.
Rose Mary worked a range of jobs as well. She worked in an Italian restaurant, as a stay-at-home Mom, a golf course attendant, a store detective, a bartender, and eventually as a very successful PX Store manager. “I paid attention to what the soldiers needed, and what we didn’t have. I worked hard to get what would benefit the soldiers and even accidentally got a bathroom built in the PX for employees by mentioning the cold walk to the bathroom in winter to someone who listened and made a change.” Rose Mary shares.
Taking a moment to reflect on the current world cultures, the Nelsons are hopeful and a bit tentative. “I finally realized that people are prisoners of their phones- and that is why they are called cell phones,” said Wayne.
Rose Mary speaks of paying attention, how it has served her through her lifetime in serving others, in making a difference everywhere she went. “The opportunity exists wherever we go” she says. “I feel a drive to remind people there is a lot going on out there that we can be impactful in”.
The Nelsons don’t keep track of everything they are involved in. The Baby Closet, Grayling Promotional Association, Relay for life, The Lions, The American Legion, the Historical Museum to name a few. “We just show up where we are needed, and we can help” is the simple reply Rose Mary offers.
The list of awards they have received is long, and when asked about it, the Nelson’s don’t have very much to say. “We were awarded Citizen of Year by the Chamber of Commerce and it was so special. But we turned it down a couple of years too, there are so many other wonderful people doing wonderful things. I once got a civilian military honor and was chosen to receive it again, but I already had it.” Rose Mary modestly says. She smiles, sharing “the awards are nice to receive but it’s not why we do things.”
When asked what motivates them, Rose Mary says “We just see an opportunity to help and we can do it, so we do. It is how we have met everyone we know since we moved here, and everyone we know are good people, so it works”, she laughs, speaking appreciation for others as she is asked about her own accomplishments.
For the most part, Wayne sits back quietly offering confirmation of dates, an occasional chuckle in recollection of a story Rose Mary shares, nods of approval, his presence is solid and serene. He too, is humble when asked about his life of service and choice to show up in the world as he does, “I grew up as a poor dairy farmer. Our neighbors helped each other because we had to and because it was right, there is always someone who needs help”, he states.
The Truth of his words are not heavy, somehow, they are encouraging. He reminds us of the power of one, or two.
