Thief River Falls, Minnesota (trfnews.i234.me) — Sharon Rose Nelson, 72, of Red Lake Falls, died January 29, 2026.
She died at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Family members were with her, according to her obituary.
Life and work
Nelson was born on February 12, 1953, in Red Lake Falls.
Her parents were Wilfred Gagner and Alma (Bruneau) Gagner.
She attended Lafayette High School and graduated in 1971.
The school is part of the Red Lake Falls School District.
She studied cosmetology at Northland Community & Technical College in Thief River Falls.
She later owned and operated Sharon’s Salon in Plummer, Minnesota.
She also worked at Hillcrest Senior Living in Red Lake Falls.
Nelson also provided child care through a daycare job.
Later, she worked for DigiKey in Thief River Falls.
Family
Nelson married John Marcus Nelson on February 11, 1972.
The wedding took place at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Red Lake Falls.
John Nelson died earlier, the obituary said.
She is survived by three children.
They are Christine Nelson of Red Lake Falls.
They are Michael Nelson of Thief River Falls and his wife, Shannon.
They are Stephanie (Nelson) Bradshaw of Golden Valley and her husband, Yusef.
Nelson also had seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The grandchildren are Quianah (Jonah), Tamara, Samantha (Landon), Sawrena, Miah (fiancé Mason), Nathan, and Donovan.
The great-grandchildren are Hadley, Jones, Creed, and Jayden.
She is also survived by several siblings.
They include Ella Gagner, Mary Jackson, Kathy (Robert) Hochreiter, and Lou Hagl.
They also include Steve Gagner, Willard (Nasreen) Gagner, and Jim (Noreen) Gagner.
They also include Jerry (Jan) Gagner and Deb (Nick) Thompson.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
She was also preceded by her husband, John Marcus Nelson.
She was also preceded by sisters Jan Sherman and Shirley Slininger.
She was also preceded by her brother-in-law, Doug Hagl.
Service details
A public visitation is scheduled for February 6, 2026.
It begins at 4 p.m. at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls.
A memorial service will follow at 6 p.m.
The funeral home has more information online.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
Prayers being sent to the family, loved ones and friends sorry for your loss.