Claudia Jean Nelson

Claudia Jean Nelson left her life of struggles behind to join family in heaven’s realm on June 7, 2024, at 9:15 am. Her passing was peaceful under the care of nursing staff of Canyon West Cascadia in Caldwell and Idaho Home Health & Hospice. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Donald and Donna Barklow; and her first great-granddaughter, Amelia Archer. She is survived by her loving husband, Randall Nelson; brother, Doug (Mary) Barklow; children: Kirk (Sheryl) Pugsley, Aaron (Tami) Pugsley, and Rebecca Simmons; and stepchildren: Brandy (Brian) Sorenson, Christy (Jeremy) Elzinga, and Shade Nelson; as well as her grandchildren: Britany (Corey) Cunningham, Justin (Shelby) Pugsley, Shelby (Kevin) Archer, Taylor Pugsley, Ryker and Gunnar Simmons, Grace, Aleena, and Ketura Sorenson, Joe, Tory, and Claire Elzinga; and finally, her four great-grandchildren: Aiden and Avery Pugsley, and Elliot and Adalyn Archer. She also has several surviving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Claudia was born at Holy Rosary Medical Center in Ontario, Oregon, on May 26, 1949.  She grew up in the Caldwell area and was part of the first four year graduating class of 1967 at Vallivue High School. At this point, there have been three generations to graduate as Vallivue Falcons. It was at Vallivue that Claudia met and ultimately married her first husband, Ron Pugsley. Together they had their three children and raised them up, teaching them how to raise and care for animals and general farm life necessities. Many fond memories center around debacles experienced on the farm that shaped our childhood. The entire family was quick to rescue animals, and we were never without pets, as strays seemed to materialize out of thin air. Camping, hunting, and fishing were favorite family pastimes. Life was not always just for fun; we children also learned the value of hard work. Mom’s other passions were sewing and quilting. Several of the family were blessed to have handmade quilts over the years. 

In 1995, Ron and Claudia divorced. 

Mom wasn’t looking to be remarried, but her friend Lynn, and Randall’s sister, Linda, who were friends, thought that the two of them would be a match. As Randall tells it, he wasn’t in the market for a wife, but his sister, Linda, was persistent and harped at him for six months. He got the nerve up to call sometime near the end of February. They enjoyed a few phone conversations over the next few days. March 3rd was their official first date of dinner and a movie. Randall picked the steak house and mom picked the movie. Randall was worried when they arrived at the Linden 3 Theater and thought Mom was taking him to watch a Peewee Herman movie, as it was not his sort of humor. Luckily, they went to a different show and Randall admits he can’t remember what movie it was because they were enjoying each other’s company. After the movie, they sat around and visited at Mom’s place with Aaron and Tami until the wee hours of the morning. From that day on, their love grew and on Mom’s birthday, Randall asked her to marry him. They were married July 26,1997, and Randall pointed out that they never had a fight in all those years. The two of them loved each other deeply and loved each other’s children equally and fostered a great relationship among us kids. Randall has proven to be a man of immense character in the love he gave to Claudia in their time together. They too enjoyed going camping and Mom spoke often of spending time with friends Walt and Connie, with whom they camped together. 

Mom was one of the hardest working people I’ve ever known. One sure fire way to get her fired up was to tell her she couldn’t do something. She would dig her heels in, and it would get done just to prove she could.  She worked long hours in the fruit sheds at Symms Fruit Ranch and Falon’s Fruit Ranch, sorting and packing fruit. Mom loved to be challenged and worked for several companies in Caldwell. One of her favorite jobs was working for the I.D.E.A. Corporation in advertising. She designed art graphics by hand before computers caught on. As computers became more usable, Mom’s position was phased out. 

Her next employment move found her working at the Terteling Library on the College of Idaho Campus. She held various roles there over the years and was well respected on campus as a reliable person to consult. She had a great deal of impact on work study students and maintained contact with several over the years. There was never a time that Mom was idle, and she worked at the C of I right up to the day she had her stroke in March of 2017.  

The stroke took a toll on all the family but mostly on Mom and Randall. She lost a lot with her stroke, most of which was her ability to communicate clearly. She could still tell a story, but her brain would insert names that may not fit the memory. It was hard to watch her with the looks of frustration and not be able to fix it. Mom was a straight shooter all her life and she was not known for holding her tongue. She would tell it like it was - you never had to guess what she was thinking. Mom was also strong-willed and once her mind was set, you may as well let it be her way, because that was it. This became problematic in the final weeks of her life. As suspected dementia seemed to creep in, Mom became fixated with things and riding out the storm was the only option. Patience prevailed usually, but caring for Mom was hard for all involved. There are not enough words to express the gratitude of myself and Aaron for the care and compassion Randall, Shade, and Rebecca have given over the last several years.

A memorial service will be held for Claudia and Ron on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 4:30 pm at Caldwell Memorial Park Bandshell in Caldwell. Cremation services are under the care of Flahiff Funeral Chapel, Caldwell. (208) 459-0833