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NILSSON -- Mary Jeanne Nilsson, a resident of Los Alamos since August of 1945, died peacefully at home on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at the age of 89 in the presence of her beloved family. Known affectionately to many in the community as "MJ", Mary Jeanne Bolan taught for two years in Russell, Kansas before arriving by train to Lamy, New Mexico in August, 1945. Hired to teach in Los Alamos, she became a founding member of many of the numerous organizations that were forming in the fledgling community yet unknown to most of the world. Mary Jeanne was the eldest daughter of William Cecil and Flossie Mae Singley Bolan. She was born on October 28, 1921 in Selman, Oklahoma, but grew up in Plains, Kansas, where her father managed the Home Lumber Company and her grandparents lived on the homestead they had established as pioneer wheat farmers. Her mother Flossie's childhood home was a sod house. Mary Jeanne met her late husband, Clifford Elijah Nilsson, shortly after coming to Los Alamos. She and Clifford were married in Plains, Kansas, on April 22, 1946, and returned to Los Alamos, the community they both loved and considered home. They raised their three children, Karen Nilsson Brandt, Janis Lynne Childers, and Alan Clifford Nilsson as Los Alamos natives. Mary Jeanne taught in Los Alamos from 1945-1951 and 1962-1992. She taught at Central, the first school in Los Alamos; Mesa, now the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos; Mountain, and Barranca Mesa Elementary School. Her three children watched with respect and admiration as through the years her former students returned home to share their memories of luaus, Thanksgiving dinners, time capsules or other highlights that made lasting impressions on their young lives while under her wise tutelage. Mary Jeanne was twice president of the local chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, a key women educator's organization to which she belonged. Until Guaje Pines Cemetery was dedicated on May 30, 1961, Los Alamos had no cemetery. In the early 1950s, Mary Jeanne was one of a small group of women from the Los Alamos Garden Club who created the Memorial Rose Garden at Fuller Lodge. She is a former president of the Los Alamos Garden Club. Mary Jeanne and Clifford were founding members of the United Church, where she served as Sunday School Superintendent, as a member of the Christian education board and the board of elders, and as chairperson of the church council. She served on the ministerial and search and stewardship committees. She designed flower arrangements for the altar, for weddings, for memorials, and for summer outdoor services. A driving force for decades as the church prepared for its Christmas bazaar, she was in charge of the bake table in November 2010. Mary Jeanne retired from the Los Alamos Public Schools in 1992. She then began volunteering with the LIFT committee, which prepares food for memorial services held at the United Church. The volunteers arrive early and leave late after all clean-up tasks are completed. These "behind the scenes worker bees" make it possible for grieving families to concentrate only on their loved ones. Named a Living Treasure of Los Alamos in 2004 for her "outstanding dedication to the life, heart and spirit of the Los Alamos community," Mary Jeanne shared her joyful outlook on life: "I believe in an open-door policy," she said. "The welcome mat is always out." Preceded in death by her parents, William and Flossie Bolan; her husband, Clifford Nilsson; and her brother, John Bolan, Mary Jeanne is survived by her sister, Doloros Hamm of Kinsley, Kansas, and her brother, Bill Bolan and his wife, June, of Plains, Kansas; and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law Betty and Gene Stisser of Goodyear, Arizona. She is also survived by her children: Karen Nilsson Brandt and son-in-law Dennis Brandt of Los Alamos: Jan Childers and son-in-law Jim Childers of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Alan Nilsson and daughter-in-law Kimberly Smith-Nilsson of Mountain View, California; and her grandchildren, Thea and Johanna Smith-Nilsson and Jay Parkhill, as well as nieces, nephews, friends and family throughout the country. A celebration to honor Mary Jeanne's remarkable life will be held when the winds have died down and the flowers are in full bloom. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the United Church, specified to the LIFT committee, to the Los Alamos Visiting Nurses, or to a charity of choice. The family of Mary Jeanne Nilsson has entrusted their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the Espanola Valley. 505-662-2400 or www.devargasfuneral.com
        Published on: Wed March 30, 2011