The memorial service for Dardanella &8220;Dardie&8221; Anita Nelson, 86, of Clarks Grove, will be held on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Clarks Grove. The Rev. Kent Otterman will officiate. Private interment will be held on a later date in the Clarks Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.

Dardanella died peacefully Thursday morning, Jan. 10, 2008, surrounded by her family, at the Good Samaritan Center.

Dardanella was born to Albert and Nettie Cecilia (Staska) Camp on Aug. 22, 1921, in Belle Chester. The family moved to Clarks Grove in 1934.

Dardanella attended elementary school in Clarks Grove and was a 1940 graduate of Albert Lea High School. She went to comptometer school in Mankato for one year.

Dardanella married Milton Nelson on June 15, 1941, at the First Baptist Church in Clarks Grove.

Dardie, as we called her, went to beauty school in Albert Lea at age 50 for one year.

She opened her own beauty shop in their home and operated it for 14 years.

Dardie was a homemaker and enjoyed cooking, baking cookies, cinnamon rolls and homemade bread. One of her enjoyments was making homemade buns for her grandchildren&8217;s graduation open houses and their weddings. Dardie spent time golfing, square dancing, and wintered in Lake Havasau City, Ariz., for 22 years.

Survivors include her husband of 66 years, Milton of Clarks Grove; daughter, Kathy (Irvin) Jensen Jr. of Clarks Grove; son, Kenneth (Maya) Nelson of Clarks Grove; and daughter, Michelle (Paul) Kelm of Faribault; 13 grandchildren, Cindy (David) Callahan, Chris (Kim) Jensen and Colette (Cory) Bauers, all of Clarks Grove, Troy (Kelly) Nelson of Rosemount, Wayne (Kate) Nelson of Waseca, and Jessica Kelm, Amanda Bartness and Brianna Bartness, all of Faribault; 10 great-grandchildren, Logan and Dakota Callahan, Travis and Alyssa Jensen, Nathan, Aaron, and Sabrina Bauers, Ashley and Stephanie Nelson and Alexandra Nelson.

Dardie was preceded in death by her parents; brother-in-law, Harold Murphy; nephew Brian Sanders; sister-in-law, Eunice Nelson; and father and mother-in-law, Norman and Alice Nelson.