Rhonda Nelson
February 14, 1952 — May 30, 2023
Rhonda Nelson played a big role in the Washington Council of the Blind and in the lives of a lot of us personally for many years. She was born in San Diego on February 14, 1952. Except for a short time in Olympia, she lived nearly her entire life in the Seattle-King County area. She passed away on May 30, 2023.
In the sixties, she attended the Washington State School for the Blind. Later, she earned a degree from the University of Washington and always had a special place in her heart for the Huskies. She worked many years for the Social Security Administration. Early on, she became an advocate for better services and was particularly a strong promoter of the use of Braille. She was one of the original members of our state affiliate and stepped up many times to serve as a board member or officer.
Rhonda is remembered fondly for her love of Jesus Christ, all things related to words, and all things related to broadcast sports. She actually attended several Rose Bowl games with her family. She loved word games, and this gentle, unassuming woman could be a “no-holds-barred” demon if you were sitting in hospitality across from her at the Scrabble board. Rhonda also loved the snow, and our angel wall photo of her catches her in the white stuff with her arms flung out.
She was always thoughtful and quiet most of the time. Yet, when Rhonda had an opinion, she had her facts straight and was clear and confident in her presentation. She served in so many capacities and always did it with warmth, humility, and grace. No one will ever be able to ascertain for sure just how much of our WCB policy and constitutional language we owe to Rhonda, but it is a lot. In the early days, whenever we decided we wanted to develop some official language about something, we handed it to Rhonda. If you wanted something you wrote to be as good as it could be, and you were smart, you passed it by the “proofreading queen.”
AT ACB national conventions in the eighties and nineties, if you dropped in on the pre-convention board meeting you could always count on finding two other members already there; Rhonda Nelson and Marilyn Donnelly. It turned out, in November of 2022, Marilyn predeceased Rhonda by just six months.
Rhonda was a hard worker and a fun person to have on a committee. Although she had a very serious demeanor, you could usually get her to crack up about something. She made a positive difference in our lives, and we miss her very much. If she was buried rather than cremated, I hope that someone remembered to throw in a Scrabble board.
Watch Rhonda Nelson's Angels' Tribute vide on YouTube here