Ida Nelson

Ida Nelson, 102, of Clay, NY, passed away from natural causes on the morning of December 21, 2023, at The Cottages at Garden Grove in Cicero, NY. Born in 1921 in Paris, France to Joseph and Simone (Sima) Glaserman, Ida lived a remarkable life spanning an extraordinary century. She was raised in Paris in the 1920’s and 1930’s, during a time of unrest and increasing turmoil that culminated in her having to flee her home in 1942, with her sister Rose Huguette, to the south of France to escape the Nazi occupation. She spent the next three years moving from place to place, not knowing the fate of her family or what lay in store for her and her sister. She was able to return to Paris in 1945 after the Allied victory only to discover that most of her family had perished in concentration camps and the home she had known growing up was gone. Returning to school was not an option (Ida had been studying to get a law degree) so she eventually obtained a job with UNRRA (the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Association), where she would meet Newton Nelson, marrying him in Germany in 1946. They would remain married for 53 years, till his death in 1999. Newton and Ida would come to America in 1947, settling on Long Island, and raising their three children, Shelley, Dean, and Wendy. As the children grew older, Ida returned to school, receiving a master’s degree from Hofstra University, and soon thereafter landing a teaching position in the Uniondale School District. She stayed with Uniondale for 35 years, eventually rising to become District Chairperson of Foreign Languages. During this time, she continued her studies at New York University, earning her Ph.D. in French Literature. (Her thesis, “La Sottie Sans Souci”, was later published in France.) After her retirement from Uniondale, she continued to teach for another 10 years as an adjunct professor at Suny/Old Westbury, reflecting her commitment to education and her lifelong love of learning. In time, Ida moved to Elmira, NY, to spend more time with her grandchildren, and subsequently to Clay, NY, to be closer to her great-grandchildren. During this time, she continued to embrace the pleasures that had always filled her life with joy: a love of opera, of travel, of reading, and of spending time with family and friends. She had a character forged through enduring difficult times, but eschewed bitterness and filled her life with a love of family and a delight in the humanities. She was a woman of both indomitable will, and enormous generosity, of strong opinions and loving kindness. But towering over everything else was her devotion to her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren; she was the heart of the family and deeply beloved by every one of us. Ida was pre-deceased by her husband, Newton Nelson (1999) and sister Rose Huguette Glaserman (1982). She is survived by her children, Shelley (Peter), Dean, and Wendy, her grandchildren Matthew, Melissa (Greg), Sarah, Julie (Valerio), and Rebecca, and her great-grandchildren Gianna, Adrian, Roman, and Marcello. In accordance with Ida’s wishes, there will be no services; a celebration of her life will be held by the immediate family later this spring.

Ida Nelson

November 12, 1921 - December 21, 2023