Cheryl A. Nelson, 56, passed away due to natural causes at Benefis Healthcare on
Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Cremation has taken place, and memorial services will
be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 28, 2023, at St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic
Church in Havre. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Cheryl's family has
suggested memorial donations be made in her memory to the Montana Special
Olympics, Mclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center, or the charity of the donor's
choice. Holland & Bonine Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and
arrangements. Please visit Cheryl's online memorial page to send a card or leave a
message of condolence for her family at www.hollandbonine.com.
Cheryl was born on July 22, 1966, in Havre to Robert and Theresa (Peeler) Walen.
She spent the first few years of her life in Havre, and her school years in Billings,
graduating from Billings Central in 1984, where she was an all-state champion for
speech and debate. Every year, Cheryl returned to Havre to spend summers and
holidays with her grandparents, Clarke and Grace Peeler, and her uncle Richard
Peeler. Some of her best childhood memories are from those vacations. After high
school, Cheryl returned to Havre to attend Northern Montana College, where she
received two bachelor's degrees. She married Carl Nelson in 1988 in Red Lodge,
and the couple spent their first few years in Billings before moving to Havre, and
then Kalispell, various other places, and finally settling in Great Falls in 1997,
where they raised their two children.
Cheryl was a kind, empathetic woman with strong faith and morals that she learned
from her grandma, Grace Peeler. She was generous with her time and affection,
taking her kids hiking and camping, and was considered the "mom" for her
children's friends, as well. She loved to bake family recipes she learned from her
grandma, Grace Peeler and did her best to make holidays and birthdays magical.
Cheryl was a talented cake decorator, party planner, and she outdid herself every
year on her children's birthday cakes. She loved interior decorating and
redecorated her children's rooms numerous times through the years. Cheryl learned
her sense of humor and her gift of playing pranks on people from her grandpa,
Clarke Peeler, and always took it to the "next level". She loved to travel with her
family; especially to Beaver Creek Park, Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks,
and the Oregon Coast.
She was preceded in death by her father, grandparents, and other extended family.
Cheryl is survived by her estranged mother, Theresa Peeler; numerous cousins;
husband, Carl Nelson, of Spokane, WA; children, Clarke and Rachel Nelson; son-

in-law, Tony Curd, all of Great Falls; and furbabies, Bailey, Buddy, Oreo, Sapphire,
Furby, and Angel.