Verna Pansy "Pat" Nielsen

Verna Pansy (Pat) Nielsen, 92, passed away May 19, 2024, in Temple, Texas.
Pat was born January 20, 1932, in Edinburg, Texas, to Houston and Lois Allen. She was the middle of five children. She enjoyed telling fond stories of her childhood, including stories of gathering eggs, having a goat named Snooper, and playing with paper dolls with her sisters. After graduating from High School, Pat worked at the First State Bank of Edinburg for about 10 years when she met Allyn Howard (Sonny) Nielsen in 1959. They were married on September 2, 1960, in Edinburg, Texas. Together, they lived in Austin, Texas, for most of their marriage. Pat enjoyed being Sonny's helpmate and mother to their children. She volunteered at her children's schools, and she attended her children's sports activities. She particularly enjoyed being alongside Sonny in his various social engagements and activities. Pat especially enjoyed expressing her love for others by cooking for them. She always made sure her husband and sons had a hot breakfast every morning, and packed nutritious lunches for them every day. She baked birthday cakes for every birthday, for both her sons and even her grandchildren until she was unable to do it anymore. She was very hospitable and enjoyed hosting "company". Her home was always open and she would invite anyone who stopped by to stay for dinner. Pat loved her grandchildren and loved having them in her home. She invested in teaching her granddaughters to cook, buying them each a vintage replica of the cookbook that she had received as a wedding present, as well as spending many hours in the kitchen with them, demonstrating and answering all their questions. Pat enjoyed making scrapbooks and memory books for the family and worked to keep old memories alive for her family.
She was proceeded in death by her husband, Allyn Nielsen; her parents, Houston and Lois Allen; her sisters, Nelda Pavlica and Betty Anthony; and her grandson, Jeremiah Nielsen.
She is survived by her three sons, Mike Nielsen with wife, Sheryl, Dennis Nielsen with wife, Keri, and Tim Nielsen; 11 grandchildren: Nicole Mikita with husband, John, Brittany Nielsen, Kalee Lundy with husband, Wesley, Sidney Nielsen, Joseph Nielsen with wife, Sarah, Jonathan Nielsen with wife, Lisa, Rebecca Nielsen, Allyn Nielsen, Jessica Nielsen, Samuel Nielsen, and Benjamin Nielsen; 12 great-grandchildren: Avery, Landry, Ella, Sonny, Bren, Robert, Olivia, Nik, Balee, Moriah, Eliza, and Callie; brothers, Wayne Allen with wife, Gelee and Warren Allen with wife, Mary Jane; and many nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends from 12:00 to 2:00 PM on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at Harrell Funeral Home of Austin.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday in the chapel of Harrell Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Cook-Walden Forest Oaks Memorial Park, Austin, Texas.