Home > United States of America > South Dakota > Clay County > Vermillion > Bluff View Cemetery > Nancy Lee Carlsen

Nancy Lee Carlsen

Birth	:	8 Jan 1947 Vermillion, Clay County, South Dakota, USA
Death	:	25 Jul 2017 Vermillion, Clay County, South Dakota, USA
Burial	:	Bluff View Cemetery, Vermillion, Clay County, USA
Coordinate	:	42.7714000, -96.9056000
Description	:	Nancy Carlsen was born on January 8, 1947, in Vermillion, SD, to Ernie and Bonnie (Brammer) Carlsen. On Tuesday, July 25, 2017, she embarked on new adventures, passing peacefully “at home” in Vermillion, surrounded by people who loved her. Her cancer dance had worn her body out. Her vitality yearned to flourish again. And so it is. Blessings to her as she travels on – exploring new avenues of challenge and creativity and fulfillment. We are so very sad to see her go – she will be deeply missed by so many – and we are happy to have known her... Read More	Nancy Carlsen was born on January 8, 1947, in Vermillion, SD, to Ernie and Bonnie (Brammer) Carlsen. On Tuesday, July 25, 2017, she embarked on new adventures, passing peacefully “at home” in Vermillion, surrounded by people who loved her. Her cancer dance had worn her body out. Her vitality yearned to flourish again. And so it is. Blessings to her as she travels on – exploring new avenues of challenge and creativity and fulfillment. We are so very sad to see her go – she will be deeply missed by so many – and we are happy to have known her as she passed us by. Nancy was a most unique individual – graceful, serene, passionate, well-meaning – a very private person with a big heart and a great love of community. She was known for her unfaltering kindness and generosity – always willing to lend a hand or share her abilities to help make the world a better place. She was a woman with many interests throughout her life – as counselor, educator, historian, title examiner, author, artist, nature lover, meticulous cartographer, and environmental/social activist. She pursued her diverse interests with a dynamic combination of mystic and healer, creator, teacher, collaborator – always with a strong scientific bent - ever wondering, researching, compiling, documenting, creating, and sharing – a steadfast member of a number of diverse communities – a devoted Vermillionaire – a true friend. Her path through life was rarely conventional and often reflected her complex spirit. She was a free-thinker, an early feminist, and an ardent environmentalist. Her life was defined by consistently taking the path less traveled, and leaving beautiful things along her trail’s edge for the discovery and delight of those who would follow. Always an outstanding student, Nancy graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of South Dakota in 1969, then left to obtain a master of science in psychology at Purdue University. She then moved to Hawaii, where she worked with the early women’s health movement, and on to Berkeley in the early seventies, where she lived in collectives and worked as an advocate for women's health and women’s rights, both professionally and as a volunteer, contributing to women’s movement publications and books, doing research, and mingling with free-thinkers of many persuasions. Nancy was always open to discussion about ideas, but when she made a decision, she was steadfast. Her fast-paced professional life in California showed her the value of a stable home, a quiet life, and a close community. When she returned to South Dakota, she did it with characteristic enthusiasm. It was our gain. On her return to Vermillion, she lived in a home in rural Union County that seemed to come from a children’s fairy tale, always wearing a flowing skirt and colored scarf around her hair. After five+ years in the country, she moved into Prospect House, where she shared her home for more than 35 years with her housemate and sister-in-spirit Nancy Losacker. Many others were blessed to live with them for a time, including her sister, Cindy, her nephew Daniel, and “her kids,” including Jennifer Sky Alsgaard and Molly Vagle. Her guidance, her intelligence, her sensitivity, her wisdom, her constancy, enriched the lives of many people whom she touched deeply in her community and beyond. Although Nancy’s mind had a scientific bent, she always doubted a little, always probed with questions. Her skepticism was well founded, and reasonable, and her investigations led her to consider openly the evidence of the inner self, alien communication, the possibility of psychic phenomena, the faults of the null hypothesis for statistical studies. These were heterodox considerations, yet she always conducted them with admirable rigor, feeling and openness to possibility. She was an excellent listener. She was not effusive (except, occasionally, after a couple glasses of wine). Nor was she a disciplinarian. She listened, and mediated, and made a space for things to work together that might not have worked so well, otherwise. Among the people who knew her well, Nancy was a kind of legend. She knew so many things. She loved ancient lore and archeology, and could readily muse about earth mysteries and megaliths throughout the world, or her inner life and reincarnation, or the long history of female worship and magic as it descended and transformed through the ages. She could just as easily describe the history of Clay County, or the River, or crop circles, or “tipi rings,” or other archeological theories or discoveries, or so many other areas of interest to her. Nancy made arts that required tremendous creativity, discipline and patience, like her intricate pysanki eggs with crop circle, horoscope, labyrinth, and other original designs, and her stunning “Prairie Feather” creations. She was probably best known for the beautiful, intricate and accurate maps and informational signs which she created – many for commission, many simply out of her own “desire to know.” Among her many signs, she did all the design, layout, map contributions and some of the research and writing for 27 large informational signs created for the Missouri National Recreational River Water Trail, running from below Fort Randall Dam to below Ponca State Park. Although she created numerous original, rigorous and always beautiful maps of all types of landscapes, her maps of the braided Missouri River and other river systems were perhaps most widely circulated, having found their way into many homes and offices around the country. Nancy had many different jobs, including working off and on throughout her life at Land Title Guaranty Co. in Sioux Falls, the title insurance company her parents had founded when she was a child. She worked half-time steadily for a number of years, helping her Mom in “the plant” and her Dad with examining titles. Her experience at Land Title and two other title companies provided the expertise to co-write "The South Dakota Land Title Guide," a resource manual covering many aspects of land transactions in South Dakota, used extensively by title companies, attorneys, realtors, bankers, students, and others across the state. Nancy also created her massive "Clay County Cemetery Survey," a three-year work consisting of five sets of nine volumes each, made publicly available. This extremely useful resource compiles information, photographs and maps for all of the county’s 28 cemeteries. She also co-wrote another book – "Andy’s Ramblings," about her Uncle Andy’s recollections of his early ranching days, including a brief history of the family’s migration from Denmark to South Dakota. We hope the books she was researching about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and about the first child born in Clay County, can someday see the light of day. In her most recent years, Nancy divided her time between her maps and signs and studies of the Missouri River, as she continued her active involvement in River Appreciation Day, SOPD, SD State Archeological Society, Living River Group of the Sierra Club, Spirit Mound Trust, and Spirit Mound Cemetery Association. Nancy loved genealogy, and her sense of family went far beyond conventional bounds. She was a beloved daughter, sister, aunt, other-mother, cousin, and friend. Nancy is survived by her father, Ernest G. Carlsen of Sioux Falls; her sister, Cindy Kirkeby of Vermillion; her brother, Chris (Sandra) Carlsen of Sioux Falls; her nephew, Daniel (Renata) Kirkeby and their sons, Miro and Thales, soon of New York City; her nephew, Jensen (Amy) Carlsen and their sons, Judah and Jedidiah of Houston; her nephew, Luke Carlsen of Los Angeles; her long-time friend and housemate Nancy Losacker; “her kids,” including Jennifer Sky Alsgaard and Molly Vagle; her cousins and extended family; and her many close associates and dear friends. She was preceded in death by her mother, Bonnie, in 2002. Nancy’s “Personal History” is available under separate heading on this Kober Funeral Home webpage. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Spirit Mound Cemetery c/o Spirit Mound Trust, or to the SD State Archeological Society. -------------------- 5:00 PM Celebration of Nancy's Life 317 Prospect Street Vermillion, South Dakota 57069 Nancy wanted us to celebrate her life with a party at Prospect House! So we hope those of her friends and family who can make it will come to her home at 317 Prospect Street, Vermillion, SD, at 5 pm on Saturday, August 12th. We’ll begin with some music and sharing time at 5 pm, followed by a good old Vermillion potluck! Please bring any good memories of Nancy that you’d like to share – and a potluck dish and drinks of your choice if you’d like – and your own chair! We’d also love to see any pictures you might find of Nancy! You could scan and send them by email or Facebook – or bring prints along that we can keep or scan and return to you. Let’s vibe in a fine afternoon to get together and celebrate a beautiful life well lived and a gentle woman much loved. [Courtesy: Kober Funeral Home]

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Nancy Lee Carlsen's memorial?
Nancy Lee Carlsen's memorial is located at: Bluff View Cemetery, Vermillion, Clay County, USA.
When did Nancy Lee Carlsen death?
Nancy Lee Carlsen death on 25 Jul 2017 in Vermillion, Clay County, South Dakota, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Nancy Lee Carlsen's memorial?
Latitude: 42.7714000
Longitude: -96.9056000

Family Members:

Parent

Bonnie Jean Brammer Carlsen

(1922 - 2002)

Siblings

Cynthia Jo “Cindy” Carlsen Kirkeby

(1948 - 2022)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Bluff View Cemetery
Vermillion, Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7714000, -96.9056000

2. Saint Agnes Calvary Cemetery
Vermillion, Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7715900, -96.9072100

3. Saint Agnes Cemetery
Vermillion, Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7872009, -96.8499985

4. Dowlin Cemetery
Burbank, Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7789001, -96.8107986

5. Gibb's Cemetery
Newcastle, Dixon County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6985100, -96.8518400

6. Saint Peter Greenfield Cemetery
Vermillion, Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8608017, -96.8644028

7. Clay Creek Cemetery
Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8516998, -96.9788971

8. Ionia Cemetery
Newcastle, Dixon County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6893997, -96.8300018

9. Maskell Cemetery
Maskell, Dixon County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6878014, -96.9916992

10. Halverson Cemetery
Maskell, Dixon County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6908600, -97.0013500

11. Ahlsborg Lutheran Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8228000, -96.7612000

12. Saint Mary Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8520584, -96.7877502

13. Newcastle Cemetery
Newcastle, Dixon County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6550500, -96.8708700

14. Saint Peters Calvary Cemetery
Newcastle, Dixon County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6533800, -96.8744700

15. Spirit Mound Cemetery
Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8885994, -96.9424973

16. Clay Point Cemetery
Prairie Center Township, Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8987700, -96.9065600

17. Lime Grove Cemetery
Maskell, Dixon County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6632400, -96.9990500

18. Lime Creek Cemetery
Maskell, Dixon County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6569600, -97.0004700

19. Obert Cemetery
Obert, Cedar County, USA
Coordinate: 42.6702995, -97.0289001

20. Evergreen Cemetery
Meckling, Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7896996, -97.0903015

21. Brule Creek Cemetery
Spink Township, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8346510, -96.7324350

22. Taylor Cemetery
Clay County, USA
Coordinate: 42.8372002, -97.0785980

23. Union County Poor Farm Cemetery
Union County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7649210, -96.7077580

24. Saint Paul Cemetery
Elk Point, Union County, USA
Coordinate: 42.7641983, -96.7061005