Obituary of Kalee M. Nelson

Kalee M. Nelson, 74, of rural Oxford, died Thursday, September 12, 2019, at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.

Funeral services will be held 10am Tuesday, September 17, 2019, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, with burial to follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery.  Visitation will be from 4 to 7 pm Monday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established in her memory.  To share a thought, memory or condolence please visit the funeral home website @ www.gayandciha.com.

Kalee (Kayla) Marie Collins was born September 5, 1945, in Kirksville, MO, the daughter of Lloyd and Mildred (Millie) A. (Steen) Collins.  Her mom, Millie married Richard (Dick) Campion in 1961.  At this time, they moved from Tipton to West Branch.  She attended schools in Tipton and West Branch, where she graduated with the class of 1963.  After graduation, she married Wayne A. Ford and lived in Rochester, Iowa.  They divorced in 1969. 

She worked at Holiday Inn in Iowa City as a maid and at Presidential Inn as a maid and bartender.  Then in 1978 she started working at Sheller Globe and worked there for 18 years.  She married Dale Hostetler in 1984 and moved from West Branch to North Liberty.

Dale and Kalee loved dancing, camping with their cat, Ralph and their dog, Shelby.  They both loved travelling and fishing.  Dale passed in February 1997 from colon cancer.  Kalee started working at Oral-B in March 1997 and retired in 2009.  She met and married William (Willie) D. Nelson in August of 1998.  Willie is a member of the Oxford American Legion Post #537.  Kalee was a member of the Oxford American Legion as Treasurer.

Her family includes her spouse, Willie; her siblings, Perry Collins (Linda) of Solon, IA; Marshall Collins of Mammoth Springs, AR; Steve Collins of Tulsa, OK; Sue Drollinger (Guy) of Iowa City, and Gary Collins (Janet) of Thornton, CO.  Many nieces and nephews, some great first cousins, Marilyn Kimble (Bert) of St. Louis, MO.

Her family includes, Aunt Kay Welenta, Uncle Lee Campion (Kathern), Uncle Gerald Campion (Linda) and Aunt Cheryl Campion Bengelli (Allen).

Kalee gained some great step-children after marrying Dale Hostetler and Willie Nelson.  This includes: step-daughter, Stacy E. (Hostetler) (Miller) Emerick (Randy) of Walkerton, IN, step-son, Ken Hostetler of Cedar Rapids, IA.  Step-son, Donald Nelson of Clovis, NM, step-son, Mark Nelson (Barbara) of Clovis, NM. Grandchildren, Kaitlyn Miller, Alex Emerick, Randy Emerick, Andy Hostetler, Cassie Nelson (Juan Gutierrez), Savana Nelson, Cami Nelson and her great-grandson Aiden Gutierrez.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and former husbands Dale Hostetler and Wayne Ford.