Lois L. Nielsen, Rapid City, entered eternal life on January 7, 2014 at Rapid City Regional Hospital, at the age of 80. She was born on March 3, 1933 at Rockham, SD to Pastor and Mrs. Philip Mueller. She completed her elementary and secondary education in Huron, SD and attended colleges at Concordia, MN; Concordia, NE; The University of Houston, and the University of Oregon. She received her master’s degree at Concordia, IL and later taught at that institution of higher learning. She was a born teacher and already as a young child loved to play school, recruiting her sisters to serve as the students; or if they did not cooperate, she lined up her dolls and stuffed animals on the stair steps and taught them. Teaching energized her and brought out the nurturing trait in her and her enthusiasm for learning. She taught at Lutheran schools in Wolsey, SD and Houston, TX and at Willard Public School in River Forest, IL. She retired from teaching in 1996 and moved to Rapid City with her husband and daughter Christina, in 1998. She could never quite give up teaching and in Rapid City assisted in the library at Zion Lutheran School and conveyed the love of reading to the young students. The same qualities that made her into a successful teacher made her an endearing mother to three children: Laura, Erik and Christina. Although she loved being in her home, she traveled in England, Central Europe, Mexico, Canada and Australia – where she lived for a year and gave birth to her youngest child. She was an excellent cook and loved to entertain, for birthdays, religious observances and faculty gatherings. Arthritis slowed her down in the last five years of her life and she finally succumbed to pneumonia. Even though her body was exhausted she never lost her humanity and remembered the name of the health care workers. Christmas was her favorite day and as she said, “At least I made it through Christmas.” And Christmas is fulfilled by Easter – her second most favorite day. She is survived by her loving family, including her husband of 58 years, Dr. George Nielsen, Rapid City; Laura Goodson, Corinth, TX; Erik Nielsen, Glen Ellyn, IL; Christy Nielsen, Rapid City; two of her five siblings continue living, Doris Freund-Kiefer, Oviedo, FL and Miriam Gajdan, Custer; five grandchildren, Johnny and Jennifer Kiskin and Matthew, Timothy and Luke Nielsen. The family wishes to express its gratitude to the splendid nurses of MICU at Rapid City Regional Hospital.