Shirley Nelson, Nelson Residence Hall namesake and DU alumna, died Sept. 16 of undisclosed causes.

Nelson, 70, lived in Denver with husband King Lee, 75, at the time of her death. She was a homemaker who enjoyed gardening and was also an accomplished botanical artist.

The Nelsons have made major contributions to the University in the last 10 years, including the Nelson Scholarship for engineering majors and a $2 million donation to the Nelson Hall fundraising campaign.

Both were present for the groundbreaking of the new Nelson residence hall on Feb. 14, 2001. Other gifts include donations to athletics and donations for a new Kappa Sigma fraternity house.

“Their whole involvement in the University was for the students,” said Scott Lumpkin, associate vice chancellor of the Office of Institutional Advancement.

“They were really motivated to help out and make a difference because of how much they loved the students.”

Lumpkin knew the Nelsons for the last 10 years and worked with them on their gifts to the University.

“If you’d been to the service last week, you would have seen people talking about all of her characteristics,” he said. “She was a loving wife, a loving mother and if she ever heard of anyone who needed help, she was the first one there with flowers and homemade soup.”

Nelson entered DU as an undergraduate in 1951 and met King Lee on a train on the way back from her spring break.

A quote from Lee in a DU media advisory reads, “I went to New York for training and took the train home. Shirley got on in Kansas City, coming back from spring break, and we sat together.”

The two hit it off and were married five months later. The couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary the week before the grand opening of Nelson Residence Hall.

The funeral service for Shirley Nelson was held on the DU campus Thursday, Sept. 18 in Gates Concert Hall at the Newman Center.