NELSON, Julia Pearl

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ 03/20/2015 Julia Pearl Nelson, 69, of Mesa died unexpectedly Feb. 28, 2015, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born Sept. 2, 1945, in Roswell, N.M., to Lila Lucille Overley and Cecil Gentry. Julia lived in Mesa with her husband, she loved quilting, traveling and spending time with her family. Julia was a retired cosmetologist. She spent summers in Show Low with her sister, Carolyn, on the family property. Her family and friends will miss her greatly. Julia is survived by her husband, Fred (Fun) Nelson, sister Carolyn (Roy) Gauweiler and brother Ralph Cecil (Sarah) Gentry. She did not have children of her own, but she has many nieces and nephews, whom she loved very much and treated as her own children: nieces Paula (Mike) Buchanan, Cindy (Lee) Sheller and Christine Gentry; nephew Cecil Dean (LeFaith) Gentry; grandnieces Grace Estell, Samantha Buchanan; first great-grandniece Cassidy Buchanan; grandnephews Nicholas Pazarentzos, Benjamin Estell, Zachary Sheller, Owen Z. Gentry, Nate Buchanan and Austin Buchanan; brothers-in-law Alma Denzil (Denny) Nelson and Ivan Shupe; sisters-in-law Brenda Rudd, Kay Chapman, Sandra Hancock, Shelly Clouse and Cheri Eagar; as well as numerous nephews and nieces on her husband’s family side. She was preceded in death by parents, Lila Lucille Overley and Cecil Gentry. Special thanks to Mayo Clinic Hospital of Phoenix, ICU and transplant (and transport) teams, whose expertise and compassion were beyond compare. Funeral services were held March 7. She was buried in family plot in Show Low. Silver Creek Mortuary of Taylor handled arrangements.