Violet Nelson, age 80, of Hendricks, MN, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at her home in Hendricks. Funeral service will be 2:00 pm on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at Faith Lutheran Brethren Church in Hendricks, MN with Rev. Darren Shaw officiating. Burial will be in the Singsaas Cemetery, Hendricks, MN. Visitation will be from 5 – 7 pm with a Prayer Service at 7 pm on Monday, November 10, 2025 at the Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel in Hendricks, MN and will resume Tuesday one hour prior to the service at the church. Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel is entrusted with the arrangements.
Violet Ann (Sandro) Nelson was born on February 3, 1945, and grew up on a family farm five miles west of Hendricks near the shores of Oak Lake, South Dakota. She was baptized and confirmed at Singsaas Lutheran Church. As a child, she played with farm animals, adopted a three-legged dog named Einstein, helped her parents out with chores, and developed a talent for arts and crafts that would last a lifetime. She loved painting, calligraphy, making mittens and, most of all, creating costumes for herself and her children. On June 13, 1970, she was united in marriage with Michael Nelson, a union that would last 55 years and see the births of three children, Jay, Shale, and Haley. She was very active in church, teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, playing the piano for church services, and serving as church officer and Ladies’ Aid president. She worked as a waitress and restaurant hostess, but spent most of her career working at the Hendricks bank. Violet began writing for the Hendricks Pioneer in 2000 and contributed weekly human interest stories over the next 25 years. Throughout the 2000s, she was also a regional contributor for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Her stories touched the lives of hundreds of people, elevating those facing struggles, showcasing local personalities, and shining a spotlight on people who may otherwise have gone unnoticed. Violet will be remembered for her warm personality, generous spirit, boundless love of fun, and steadfast faith in Christ. She loved bike riding, thrift shopping, travelling, going to coffee shops, spending time outside, and taking golf cart rides. She was a tireless supporter of the town of Hendricks, the school, and local children.
Violet is survived by her husband Michael, children, Jay, Shale, and Haley (fiancé David Knutson), brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Isaac and Harriet (Hanson) Sandro, sister, Juanita (Sandro) Nolz, and infant sibling.
