Margaret Janet Nelson was born October 22, 1936 in Victoria B.C., Canada to Janet M. (Galloway) and David Ralph. She passed away February 7, 2015 in Tacoma, Washington. She is survived by her loving husband Gary, son Robert (Traci), daughter Janet (Patrick) Estes, Grandchildren Kristopher and Doria, Sister Catherine Bellavance, and many other family members and friends. Margaret will be dearly missed by all who knew her.


Margaret's birth was traumatic and the survival of her and her mother was a miracle. She was born Deaf. Her older sister 'Kay' kept a watchful eye on her as they were growing up. 'Mar-gy'( Margie) as she was called by her family was notorious for taking off her shoes and leaving them behind which was a traumatic thing for the family since she needed them for school and there wasn't money to get another pair. There was one incident where she left them on the trolley car returning from the movies with her sister that has been recounted on many occasions. Margaret was part of a close knit family and many have preceded her: her parents Janet (Jenny) and David Ralph and her brothers David and Gary.


Margaret attended the Jericho Hill School for the Deaf in Vancouver B.C Canada starting at the age of 5. It was a boarding school so she spent most of her growing up years there with visits home taking the CPR boat to and from school only at Christmas and in the summer. She completed school at 16 and then went to secretarial school.
After completing school she worked as a Keypunch Operator for the government of British Columbia in Victoria until she met Gary Nelson at an alumni basketball game between her school and the Washington School for the Deaf. She had dreamed that she would meet a man wearing a white suit and she did. Gary was the love of her life and they shared 56 years together.


After getting married and settling in Seattle, Margaret and Gary had two children Janet and Robert (Bobby). Margaret was a devoted mother. She was family focused and enjoyed spending time with her children and their families.
Margaret was a good friend to many. There are so many wonderful memories of good times and years shared together. Her best friend of 55+ years Mary Patriquin and her husband Don can tell so many stories of wonderful times, their experiences raising their children together and of being a part of the Deaf community in Washington and Canada. They were members of the Merry-Go-Round Deaf Mother's Club, and the "Frat".
Margaret worked at home most of her life. For a few years, she worked assembling computer components and as a teacher's assistant, at Mt. View Elementary in Lacey, WA. She loved working with the young children in the pre-school class.


Margaret was a devoted Christian. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior in 1976. She lived to serve Jesus. She was a person that truly helped people build bridges in relationships helping them to "Be kind to one another" And to think of others first. Mom was always helping people understand the true meaning of "forgiveness". Mom was always hosting people in her home. It was a place where people gathered for fellowship and Bible Study. Margaret was involved in Church and attended several as they moved from place to place. She encouraged and supported Deaf Ministries.


She loved to travel and was able to go to many places. Memorable trips took them to California, Yellowstone, Banff, Washington D.C., Israel, Finland, Alaska and her last trip to Las Vegas. She had many plans to travel more and especially wanted to take another trip to her home town of Victoria and to see her family.
She will be missed by so many.




In lieu of flowers the family would like to request that you make a donation to the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Conservatory www.swanlake.bc.ca, or Hands of Praise Deaf Church or a Charity of your choice.