Mary C. Nelson

A big part of the reason why I wanted to contribute to this blog is to connect with people and listen to their stories. I was having a very late spring South Milwaukee Day, deciding if it was going to be freezing or boiling at the little league fields. I was talking to the other parents, with varying degrees of their own histories in South Milwaukee, when a friend of mine mentioned her grandmother was turning 100 years old that upcoming weekend. While I listened to a little bit of history from her granddaughter, Jessie, I was invited to hear the stories from her grandmother herself.

I was nervous walking into Mary C. Nelson’s house, however that nervousness melted away almost immediately. Mary was surrounded by family, friends, pictures of moments and memories, as well as art that Mary had created over the years. For those of you who do not know this name, Mary C. Nelson has had an incredible impact on this community and I’d like to share parts of her story.

Mary was originally born in Minnesota to a single mom in 1926. Due to her mom being a single mother, Mary grew up with her grandparents in Northfield MN. She remembers having a great relationship with her grandparents and enjoyed the area she grew up in. Across the street from Mary was another girl, also named Mary, who she is still friends with to this day. Both Mary’s were raised by their grandparents, found this to be a powerful connector. Mary went to parochial school while living with her grandparents and talked about being ‘too intelligent’ or ‘too much trouble’. It was very easy to conversational winding paths with Mary as she has an incredible sense of humor.

As Mary’s grandparents were aging, it was decided for her that her aunt would take over care for her which landed her in Wisconsin. Mary graduated from high school at the age of 16. She says it’s because she was again ‘too smart’ or ‘too much trouble’ for her to stay. Mary met her husband at Wisconsin State Teachers College (UWM) and married in ’47. Story has it that she saw her husband in the cafeteria. One had an ice cream cone and one had a pickle. Mary said she found him so cute that she asked him to trade, in which he agreed, and their story began. her husband was in the service and operated as an air traffic controller. She moved with him from Wisconsin to Cleveland, Gary, and then Chicago. Mary said this part of her life was difficult due to having children, resettling in new places and the lack of support that comes with raising a family.

Mary and her family then began their journey here in South Milwaukee. When asked why South Milwaukee, Mary said it was a ‘typical American small community’. Mary was a journalist. I hope she does not read my writing as she may have some thoughts. She said she enjoyed her job but wanted to do more. Mary decided to run for Alderperson and became South Milwaukee’s first female Alderperson. While not consecutive, Mary ran for a total of 15 years. Mary shared many challenges of being a woman on the common council. Mary’s passion was clear in the many forms of correspondence she shared with me during our time together. Mary really believed in beautification of South Milwaukee. Through organizing the South Milwaukee Woman’s Club, Mary, alongside many other women, planted the Mary C. Nelson Arboretum located just west of the little league fields. Mary also pushed for a corner on Chicago and Milwaukee to become beautified so that people can appreciate the downtown. Mary thought that the Northwestern corner was a perfect spot due to the juxtaposition of the Bucyrus industrial complex and the downtown area. Mary also helped organize and run the efforts to save the Mill Pond.

While discussing Mary’s extensive community engagement, Mary’s passion for writing, the arts, and her family were ever present. Mary has 6 children, 15 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. Mary’s family shared stories of her writing plays for her grandchildren to perform and shared original drafts of two children’s books she created for her grandchildren. Mary wrote many short stories and shared with me many paintings. I felt a deep connection to Mary’s persistence of seeking balance. As a mom and artist myself, I felt deeply connected to the struggles Mary shared of balancing it all. I asked Mary what she would recommend to others looking to live until 100. Mary said “focus on the simple things that make people happy, don’t insult others, and be kind because we’re all in the same boat”. Mary said that her engagement in South Milwaukee was because of all of the different types of people that she was able to meet and come together to form this community.

This same day, I was fortunate enough to hold a baby that came home from the hospital for the very first time. This day left me incredibly sentimental and honored for all human moments I get to experience and motivates me to connect to more community members. I hope I get to gather with Mary many more times and experience the love, light, wisdom, and humor that Mary brings to this world.

“I wanted to give a little comment about my grandma who is turning 100. A South Milwaukee legend. Mary Nelson. The past few years we have been revamping her birthday banner to represent her new age each year. 97, 98, 99. (A little paint and duct tape goes a long way to adjust the numbers.) On her 99th birthday she said with a mouth full of laughter “what are you cheap people going to do when I turn 100?!” She is still so full of wit and still makes the entire room laugh. We love you Grandma.” -Haley Smith

Written by Tory Elliott