Benita Nelson

Benita Nelson June 6, 1969 - November 25, 2011

Benita A. Nelson, age 42 of Waseca, died on Friday, November 25, 2011 at her home surrounded by her family. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, November 30th at 1:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Waseca with Fr. Martin Schaefer, Celebrant. The Nelson family will greet friends on Tuesday afternoon from 4 to 8 p.m. at McRaith Funeral Home & Crematory in Waseca, and will continue on Wednesday afternoon for one hour prior to services, at church. A parish prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to Waseca Neighborhood Service Center or Owatonna Hospice. Benita Ann was born on June 6, 1969 to Carroll and Anna (Holtz) Schmidtknecht in Little Falls, Minnesota. She graduated from Waseca High School in 1987. Benita went on to study nursing at South Central College in Mankato. On April 13, 1991 she was united in marriage to Michael Nelson at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Waseca. Benita and Michael raised their family and have resided in Waseca their entire married life. Early in her career she worked at Lake Shore Inn of Waseca and was then employed by Walmart as an assistant manager for the last 18 years. Benita was very proud of the Waseca Neighborhood Service Center and served on its board of directors for the last 5 years. She enjoyed time spent with her family and friends and especially her grandson Rylan. She is survived by her husband Michael, her son Jacob and her daughters, Heather Nelson and special friend Travis Daschner and their son Rylan, and Shantel Nelson, all of Waseca; by her parents, Carroll (Anna) Schmidtknecht of Waseca; by her sisters, Amber (Chuck) Harty of Waseca and Crista Schmidtknecht of Mankato; by her maternal grandmother Clara Holtz of Little Falls; by her father-in-law and mother-in- law, David (Lois) Nelson of Medford; by many nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Ralph (Ade) Schmidtknecht, and her maternal grandfather John Holtz; by her nephew Gunther.