Mary Jean Nelson

Heaven gained an angel on July 2, 2020, when Mary Jean Nelson crossed over to the other side. She was 96, and had been an Anchorage resident for over 60 years. Mary was born on April 11, 1924, in Mount Vernon, Wash., and raised on the "Casa Blanca" family farm, where Swedish was the only language spoken. She walked or biked 3 miles daily to a tiny grade school, where she learned to speak English. Raised during the Depression, she learned to cook with her mother as they fed many people who came to the farm looking for work. After graduating from college with a degree in engineering, she was immediately hired by Boeing, and was the first woman to work upstairs with the men as a design engineer during the war. In October 1956, she married Lawrence "Larry" Nelson and moved to Anchorage. Over the next 35 years they were involved in many ventures, including commercial properties and businesses they owned and managed. Nutrition was a lifelong passion and Mary attended numerous health clinics around the country, including Bernard Jensen's health school. She also managed Anchorage's first large vitamin and health food store. She traveled many places around the world as a tour guide, and took groups of people to the Holy Lands, Europe and various parts of Asia, including the Philippines. Mary was an avid reader and lifelong learner. The power of words was very important to her. She was a great listener and renown spiritual counselor. She was the co-founder and longtime director of the ATOM Foundation/Center in Anchorage, which at one time held the largest metaphysical, astrological and spiritual library on the West Coast. She dedicated most of her life to helping other people through health challenges and spiritual growth. Mary always enjoyed the beauty of fresh snow, a good book, a great cup of coffee with a dog laying on her feet. The recent winter months were spent in Arizona, where she stayed connected with many longtime friends and associates within the metaphysical field. She will be dearly missed by her many friends from around the country. She is survived by her son, Larry (Robin) Nelson; grandson, Wesley; and nieces, Linda Brandstrom, Donna (Ross) Hunt and Sonja (Paul) Prozinski-Brandstrom of Washington. A celebration of life will be held at a later date, due to the current conditions. Any memorials can be made to the ATOM Center, P.O. Box 221763, Anchorage, AK 99522.