idaamandanelson

Ida Amanda Nelson was born in Eagar, Apache County, Arizona on February 22, 1893, second child of Edmond Nelson and his plural wife, Margaret Foutz, who raised his first wife's six children (the first wife, Caroline Brinkerhoff, died a year after Ed married Margaret) in addition to her seven children.

Ida grew up in Eagar, in Apache County, Arizona, attending school there until she graduated. She then attended Gila Academy in Thatcher and moved back to Eager to work in the general store.

In these days most girls married young and started a family, but not Ida. When she was 33 she was still single and was having a home built on a lot in Eagar given to her by her father. She was dating several men and was the manager of Becker's Mercantile in Eagar at the time she met Fred Russell, a handsome 24 year old who had moved to the Springerville-Eagar area to work for the state at the new Inspection Station. After a short courtship, they were married on March 4, 1926.

Ida and Fred's first child, Elaine, was born on October 1, 1926 in Phoenix. Elaine was born premature, weighing about four pounds. The new family first lived in Ida's house in Springerville, but while they were away on a trip, some relatives who were house sitting neglected a fire and the house burned to the ground. The family then moved to Phoenix, where, with the insurance money they built a beautiful new house on Montecido Street. They enjoyed this new home but while they were away this house also burned to the ground. Fred and Ida had four more children, Fred, Jr., called Freddy, who was drowned when he was eight while they were living at Clifton, Caroldene, Jeanne and Beverly Ann, who died of pneumonia when she was five months old and they were living in Thatcher.

Ida did many things to supplement the family income, including selling corsets door to door in Showlow, selling coal while living in Globe that Fred was mining in Showlow, and running a grocery store they established in Safford. She was an independent business woman, but never learned to drive an automobile. She generally walked every where she went. Ida was a good cook, and enjoyed making chow-chow, a green tomato relish. She also loved to use Palmolive soap, and to thoroughly wash her grand children's faces and hands with this soap.

Ida was active in the Church, attending faithfully and holding callings, even though her husband was inactive. In Globe, Ida was the Beehive advisor when Elaine was a Beehive.

In Safford they built some rental apartments around their home and Ida managed these units. They bought some desert land south of Safford, near where Fred was born, prior to Fred's retirement. They were planning to build a house on it, similar to Ida's "dreamhouse" on the Bowie Highway. However, Ida became seriously ill with headaches and other ailments when she was 63 years old. The doctor thought she had a brain tumor but did not think it would be a good idea to operate. She continued to go to doctors all over Arizona and Mexico, but was not able to get any relief.

Ida died at home, with her sister Loa Jarvis, a nurse, in attendance, on November 13, 1956 and was buried at the cemetery in Safford, where the graves of her son, Freddie, and daughter, Beverly Ann, who preceded her in death were relocated.