Shirley L. Nissen of Elgin, passed peacefully on October 17th, 2025, at the age of 94 at the Good Samaritan Memory Care Center in Albion, NE.
There will be a Celebration of Life at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at the Elgin Christian Community Church in Elgin. Private family burial will be at West Cedar Valley Cemetery, Elgin.
In lieu of flowers or other gifts, memorials are suggested to the Elgin Community Center.
Levander Funeral Home of Elgin is in charge of the arrangements.
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Shirley LaRose Nissen was born on February 4th, 1931 on a farm southwest of Elgin, Nebraska to Frieda and Ferdinand (Rookie) Nissen. Around age 10, Shirley’s cousin Carl Nissen came to live with her family. They became best friends and remained close until Carl’s passing during the Korean War in 1952. Shirley considered Carl her brother through her final days.
Shirley had a lifelong passion for public education. She graduated in 1947 from Elgin High School and afterward became a teacher. She first taught at country schools, including Belltower school, which was located southwest of Elgin. At the same time, her sister Maxine was teaching at a school two miles to the west. On occasion they and their students would meet in the middle to play a game of softball. Shirley would go on to receive a Masters of Education from Wayne State College and teach at Neligh, Belgrade, Loretto, Columbus, and Albion, before becoming elementary school principal at Randolph, and principal at Petersburg. While at Petersburg, Shirley started the shop program for kids to learn vocational skills.
Shirley gave up educating children in the late seventies to move back to Elgin and care for her ailing mother. In her later years, Shirley spent her time investing in her community, buying and rehabilitating properties and serving as Antelope County Commissioner, Elgin City Council and West Cedar Valley Cemetery Board for many years. Shirley spent many hours working at the Elgin City Landfill, caring for the lawn and grounds of Trinity Lutheran Church, and attending area estate sales.
She was known for being blunt, stubborn, and opinionated, but generous and caring toward her family and community. She received an Aksarben Good Neighbor Award for her services to the community of Elgin.
Shirley was preceded in death by her parents Ferdinand and Frieda Nissen; sister and brother-in-law Maxine and Ernest Uhrenholdt; cousin/adopted brother Carl Nissen; aunts Bessie (Bud) Hawks, Lillie (Fred) Iburg, and Elsie (Bert) Josten; uncles Bill (Mary) Nissen, Alfred (Anna) Nissen, and Matt Nissen; nephew Dale Uhrenholdt; great-great nephew Landon Somer; and several cousins. Shirley is survived by nephews Richard (Donna) Uhrenholdt and David (Sylvera) Holdt, great-nephews Heath Uhrenholdt, Adam (Susie) Holdt, and Alex (William) Holdt, and great-nieces Carissa (Jeremy) Thelander, Rachel Uhrenholdt (Nelson Winkel), Sarah (Bryce) Somer, and Dana (Mario) Pesendorfer, first cousin Darlene (Louis) Heithoff, as well as four great-great nephews, and four great-great nieces.
