Created August 27, 2018
In Memory
This eternal flame burns forever
in remembrance of Sondra LaRue Nelson
Sondra LaRue Nelson
March 18, 1942 - June 23, 2021
Sondra was born on March 18, 1942
in Culver City, California. She died on June
23, 2021 in Rush City, Minnesota. She attended Oroville High School
in Oroville,
CA, and attended junior college in northern
California.
Sondra was a very independent,
brave and passionate traveler. She would
spend weeks every year extensively
exploring countries and continents while
learning new things and eating different
foods. Her favorite country was
Switzerland, and she considered it to be her
second home.
Her travels took her to most of the
major continents and island nations, including
South America, New Zealand, Russia,
all of the European countries, Scandinavia
and Africa. Some of her recent trips
included Portugal (with her daughter
Christine), Morocco, Malta,
Croatia, Slovakia and Africa (with her sister Priscilla).
Sondra's interests also included
reading books about World War II, especially
focusing on strong
women who led the resistance or worked for the allied
governments. Her fascination with spy stories
involved reading many books and
researching authentic historic figures.
She had a tremendous love of
classical music, books, and movies, and she
always enjoyed eating out with friends
while having good conversations about
travel and current events.
For 15 years, Sondra lived
full-time in her RV, making friends all over the United
States. She became a Mary Kay Director
while on the road and had over 300
customers/friends who she valued deeply.
Even though she had never lived in
Minnesota, she decided to purchase a lake
home here in 2013 to be near family.
Sondra still continued to travel on the road
with her RV and fly off to many
adventures in other countries.
She believed in arts, civil rights,
and education, and she frequently donated to
PBS, NPR, and the Southern Poverty
Law Center.
Prior to going on the road with her
RV, Sondra's career included working as an
executive level assistant in San Francisco,
Houston and Washington, DC. She
also was a single mom to her daughters,
Carole and Christine.
Sondra leaves behind many, many
friends that she has loved and cherished over
the years. She had a knack for making
friends everywhere and always liked to sit
next to strangers on a Swiss train to
start up a conversation.
She will be dearly missed by her
daughter Christine (Paul) Sofka; grandsons
Andrew and Stephen Sofka all from Houston, TX; granddaughter Christina
Schaefer of Renton, WA; brothers
Clair (Helen Marie) Nelson from Soddy Daisy,
TN and Dr. Stuart (Linda) Nelson
from Vienna, VA; sisters Priscilla (Frank)
Mitchell of Rush City, MN; and
recently discovered and beloved half-sister Dixie
(Jeff) Evans of Hattiesburg, MS;
many nieces, nephews; great-nieces and great-
nephews.
Sondra was preceded in death by her
adored grandmother Lena Gibson; parents
Clair and Ruth Nelson; brothers
Dan, Greg and Neil; daughter Carole; and birth
father Harry L. Roland.
Memorials may be sent to The Mary
Kay Foundation whose mission is to
eliminate cancers affecting women and ending
domestic violence.
A celebration of life open house
will be held for Sondra on Thursday, July 22
from 2-6 PM at her home on Rush Lake.
Arrangements are entrusted to the:
Funeral And Cremation Service of Rush
City~Olson Chapel.
www.FuneralAndCremationService.com
Though She's gone, She is not forgotten.
Though absent, She remains in spirit.
Though once a worker, She now rests.
by The Arkansas Good Sams
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