A LIFE OF SERVICE DUST BOWL POVERTY TAUGHT GIVING.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Even at a young age, Delmer Nielson was going beyond the call of duty to lend a helping hand. A flight engineer for the U.S. military when he was 23, Nielson, stationed in Burma, helped supply the British army The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. It came into being with unification of the governments and armed forces of England and Scotland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. with food and supplies. But he found himself running a makeshift hospital in the back of the cargo plane cargo plane n → avión m de carga cargo plane n → avion-cargo m cargo plane cargo n → , administering oxygen and first aid to wounded soldiers they picked up from the front lines. His service in World War II became the foundation for a life of serving others. Now 84, Neilson has taken care of his wife, his children and his grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. and is now volunteering once a week at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. ``At our one-room schoolhouse, we were taught the Christian faith, and that's stayed with me,'' Nielson said. ``I'm not a saint. I'm not that great. I just have made an effort to give.'' That inclination inclination, in astronomy, the angle of intersection between two planes, one of which is an orbital plane. The inclination of the plane of the moon's orbit is 5°9' with respect to the plane of the ecliptic (the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun). to help people can be traced back to his childhood growing up with six siblings siblings npl (formal) → frères et sœurs mpl (de mêmes parents) on a farm in Kansas. His family lived through the Depression, the Dust Bowl and a drought, where he saw regular, good people reduced to poverty. ``He grew up in a small town in a farming community and I think his parents really stressed being part of the community and giving back,'' said his daughter, Terry Shajirat. ``That's been the real theme of his life.'' The person closest to Nielson, his twin brother Elmer, vouches for his brother's protective instinct instinct, term used generally to indicate an innate tendency to action, or pattern of behavior, elicited by specific stimuli and fulfilling vital needs of an organism. . Elmer Nielson, who was at his younger brother's side during the sometimes harrowing years in the military, said ever since childhood, he looked up to Delmer. ``Since we were children growing up, he's been the dominant one and I appreciated that,'' Elmer said. ``When we were growing up and we went to visit relatives, I'd push him out front and tell him to do the talking. It's been like that all our lives.'' Nielson even put in a good word for his brother when he found a job after the military. ``He helped me out a lot in his life,'' Elmer Nielson said. ``I never forget that. He helped me get started several times.'' Later in his life, Nielson found out that the death, injury and destruction he encountered in war paled in comparison to when he became his wife's caretaker during her extended struggle with Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (ăls`hī'mərz, ôls–), degenerative disease of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex that leads to atrophy of the brain and senile dementia. . ``That was the most difficult time of my life,'' he said about her last years, lowering his voice. ``She got so she didn't recognize me.'' For eight years, Nielson took care of his wife, witnessing the mind of the woman who introduced him to literature and classical music slowly deteriorate de·te·ri·o·rate v. 1. To grow worse in function or condition. 2. To weaken or disintegrate. . Nielson has gingerly gin·ger·ly adv. With great care or delicacy; cautiously. adj. Cautious; careful. [Possibly alteration of obsolete French gensor, delicate placed framed photographs of his wife, who died 3 1/2 years ago, throughout his tidy apartment. But rather than dwell on dwell on or upon Verb to think, speak, or write at length about (something) Verb 1. dwell on - delay linger over her illness, he has chosen to remember their good times, especially the traveling. Nowadays, all of Nielson's daily activities - including volunteering at the hospital, helping out his daughter by driving the grandchildren to school and other activities, being involved in the church as well as his senior housing community's activities - are part of his resolve to leave the past in the past, to focus on the future and avoid becoming a recluse. He spends four hours one day a week volunteering at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, serving as a greeter to patients and their families at the emergency room. ``I felt like I should be doing something for other people because other people were kind to her,'' Nielson said of those who helped care for his wife of more than 53 years. ``And it gives me some satisfaction if I can help them accomplish something for the day, even if it helps a little bit.'' Nielson moved to Santa Clarita from Burbank to be close to his daughter's family. Three times a week now he gets up at 5:45 a.m., takes his 16-year-old granddaughter and 12-year-old grandson Grandson (gräNsôN`), Ger. Grandsee, town (1990 pop. 2,473), Vaud canton, W Switzerland, at the southwestern end of the Lake of Neuchâtel. to different schools, and picks up both at 3, takes them to their house, where he cleans the pool and does some yard work. ``You know Tom Brokaw's book 'The Greatest Generation'? Well, he really is one from that generation who doesn't think what he has done and what he's doing is really special,'' Shajirat said. ``What he doesn't understand is that it's in his fiber and outlook that if you're part of a community you give back and help, and that's part of an ethic eth·ic n. 1. a. A set of principles of right conduct. b. A theory or a system of moral values: "An ethic of service is at war with a craving for gain" that's not that prevalent anymore.'' ANGELS AMONG US Every holiday season the Santa Clarita Daily News prints occasional stories about our community's unsung heroes, the people who work quietly yet tirelessly tire·less adj. Not yielding to fatigue; untiring or indefatigable. tire  less·ly adv. to benefit others and ask nothing in return.
These Angels in the Neighborhood often are people suggested by you, our
readers. If you know such an Angel, please let us know. Call (661)
257-5251 or e-mail pat.aidem(at)dailynews.com. Include your name and
phone number and the name and phone number of your Angel candidate.
CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) As a flight engineer in Burma for the U.S. military during World War II, Delmer Nielson helped supply the British army. (2 -- color) In addition to his other volunteer work, Delmer Nielson, 84, helps his daughter by rising at 5:45 a.m. three times a week to take his granddaughter and grandson to different schools, and picks up both at 3 to take them back to their house. (3 -- ran in SAC Sac: see Sac and Fox. SAC - 1. An early system on the Datatron 200 series. [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)]. edition only) Delmer Nielson, 84, spends four hours one day a week volunteering at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer Box: (ran in SAC edition only) ANGELS AMONG US (see text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion