M. Phyllis Magnuson Nelson, 89, formerly of Burlington, died Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at Pleasant Manor Care Center in Mount Pleasant.

            Phyllis was born August 7, 1918, the daughter of Varner C. and Eleanor E. Nelson Magnuson.  Phyllis graduated from Burlington High School with the class of 1937, and later from the Burlington Business School.  Prior to marriage and children, Phyllis worked as a secretary and then later in life she again worked as a secretary retiring from the Des Moines County Visiting Nurses in 1983.

            Phyllis was united in marriage to LeRoy L. Nelson on April 5, 1942.  Together they raised four children.  LeRoy preceded her in death on June 15, 1973.  Phyllis and LeRoy were long time members of Messiah Lutheran Church.  Even after LeRoy’s death, Phyllis continued to participate in many facets of church life at Messiah until late in life.  She also enjoyed her King’s Daughters Group and even more so when they turned their group into a sewing club as Phyllis’ passion was doing crafts and sewing.  Each of her nine grandchildren has a full-size quilt made and quilted especially for them by her.  Her friends and family all enjoyed her handiwork and she missed it sorely when she could no longer see well enough to do the stitching.

            Phyllis is survived by two daughters and their husbands, Margaret and Dean Mattix of Oskaloosa and Kathy and Stan Young of Mount Pleasant; one son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Jennifer Nelson of Cheyenne, Wyoming; a son-in-law, Bob Hiller of Burlington; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

            Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, her parents-in-law, her husband, her sister-in-law Lillian Nelson, and her daughter Janet Hiller.