Margaret "Nellie" Ellen Simone Obituary (1930

Nell McKay was born on May 15, 1930, the last of ten children and forever the baby. She was eighteen years younger than her oldest sibling so very often, her teenage siblings would take care of her. Agnes would bounce her on her knee to keep her happy during family meals. Harold would throw her up in the air then catch her. Joe often took the task of fixing Nell's red hair into curls. Agnes would tell the story of how several of them would have buggy races on the outside of the house. Some of the boys would roll big tires, occasionally with smaller kids in them and Agnes would push Nell in the buggy and the whole group would race each other in a big loop around the farm. Nell attended St. Paul grade school and next St. Mary's Academy in downtown Portland. She was fortunate enough to be able to live in the dorms at the school. She would tell many a St. Mary's story. One of her favorites was when she was chosen to put on the assembly to entertain the new Freshman class. She created a comedy routine, selected a partner, and showed off her acting skills. St. Mary's was truly her escape from farm life. After St. Mary's she attended Marylhurst College, where she would leave with a degree in teaching. Nell's first job was serving coffee at the Ward's cafeteria. She very much enjoyed chatting with the customers and they enjoyed her, but management wanted less chatting and more coffee pouring. She lasted two days. Next, she worked at a tiny ice cream shop serving customers ice cream. Nell loved to be social, she and her friends would go to a Catholic club to attend dances. She met Peter at one of those events, but before long, he left to serve in the army while stationed in Alaska, when the writing campaign began. If they didn't know each other before, they grew familiar through the letters which were often half a dozen a week between the two blossoming lovers. They were married soon after he returned, on June 12th, 1954, the day of the Rose Festival Parade. While Nell was busy having babies, she also taught school. She worked out in North Portland and taught K-2nd grades. She had many different adventures which she loved to share. Like the surprise of finding a dead rat in one of the drawers, compliments of a favorite student or, the time she drove an old clunky car of Mike's with orange firebolts painted on the sides to school and someone reported it as stolen and called the police to come and get it. Probably her favorite, was the story of how she converted a young woman who was her teaching assistant to become Catholic while on her deathbed. She worked as a substitute teacher doing long-term assignments well into her retirement years. Throughout the years, Nell stayed connected to her large McKay family. She and her growing family of five kids and husband would often go back to the farms of St. Paul, and Mt. Angel for visits and even drive to Reno and California to see family there. She loved a good party. When her kids were young, she would make hats out of ice cream tubs for birthdays, and make green Jello and cakes for St. Patrick's Day. No party was complete without a green sherbet punch, raspberry dessert, or peanut butter pie. Nell's two favorite things throughout her life were her Catholic faith and her big family. As a teenager, her mom thought she wanted to become a nun, but Nell only told her that so her overly strict mother would think it was safe for her to attend a dance. She nearly never missed going to Mass and spent her life preaching to anyone and everyone about the Catholic ways. Nell's big family always brought her joy and each and every one was a special treasure to her. That included her many wonderful friends. As for her Catholic faith, no doubt she is in Heaven looking for ears to hear all of her family stories and voices to join her in saying Hail Mary's. Nell was preceded in death by husband Pete (in January 2023). Her parents and siblings and their spouses Harvey (Genevieve), Harold (Betty), Agnes (Hugo), Richard (Vi), Francis (Velma), Art (Charlotte), Joe (Rosella), and her baby daughters Marian, and Mary Lou. She is survived by children Mike (Hae), Theresa (John), Phillip, Jerry, Lisa (Dave); grandsons David (Kim), Jeremy, Alexander, and Nicholas, her sister Mary (Bill), sister-in-law Anita (Mike), and many beloved nieces and nephews.