Margo Jane (Miller) Nelis, 73, of Bowler, passed away on Tuesday, May 1, 2018, at the Ella Besaw Center in Bowler on the Stockbridge-Munsee Indian Reservation surrounded by her family. Margo was born on Oct. 10, 1944, in Shawano, the daughter of the late Merritt and Amy (Gardner) Miller. Margo attended the Lutheran Indian Mission School in the Town of Red Springs until 1958. After graduating from Gresham High School in 1962, she moved to Milwaukee, where she met her future husband, Donald Nelis, and the two were married on Nov. 25, 1967, at St. Michaels Church in Milwaukee. After raising her two children and working at Briggs and Stratton for 31 years, Margo retired in October 1995. She moved to Odanah, where she enjoyed playing bingo, the slot machines and spoiling her grandchildren. In October 2015, Margo moved to the Ella Besaw Center in Bowler. She enjoyed watching the Green Bay Packers and the Golden Girls, eating chocolate chip cookies, and spending time with her family at the cabin. Margo was a member of the Immanuel Mohican Lutheran Church in the Town of Red Springs.
Margo leaves behind her husband of 50 years, Donald Wayne Nelis Sr., of Odanah; her son, Donald Wayne (Lee Ann Rosin) Nelis Jr., of Odanah; her daughter, Tammy Lynn (Randall Meyer) Nelis, of Plymouth; granddaughter, Samantha; grandsons, Travis and Theodore; great-granddaughters, Ariana, Kylie and Aniyah; great-grandson, Braylen. She is further survived by two sisters, Marie Denomie, of Gresham, and Marlyn (Mike) Waubanascum, of Gresham; one brother, Kenneth Miller, of Green Bay; sister-in-law, Pamela Miller, of Bowler; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Merritt and Amy Miller; her brothers, Roger Miller and Arnold Miller; her sister, Marcelene Sparks; and nephews, Michael and Lee Waubanascum.
Funeral services for Margo will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 5, 2018, at Immanuel Mohican Lutheran Church with Pastor Ralph Beversdorf officiating. Burial will be in the Red Springs Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service.
Swedberg Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to all the wonderful, kind and thoughtful staff at the Ella Besaw Center and Southern Care Hospice who treated Margo like family. They also extend heartfelt gratitude to Rhonda Kroening for going above and beyond for Margo and her family.