Aurelia Ann Cobb Nelson was born in Brownfield, Texas, in 1931, to Thomas Paul and Edna Jowell Cobb. Aurelia passed away peacefully at home on November 15, 2017. Tom and Edna Jo founded what became a chain of twenty-seven Cobb’s Department Stores located generally in West Texas and New Mexico. Aurelia and her siblings spent much of their youth in the stores with their parents. The stores were her daycare facility, a place of education, and where she enjoyed meeting and entertaining customers and family. The Cobb family long held a farming and ranching heritage in Texas and New Mexico where Aurelia spent much of her youth. The ranching lifestyle, the people involved, the love of the land, and the animals that thrived on it were always cherished and fondly remembered by her. She was raised in Lubbock, Texas, where she graduated Lubbock High, class of 1948, and Texas Tech University, class of 1952. A resident of Dallas, Texas, since 1968, she always held a special affection for her hometown of Lubbock.
She was a lover of all the arts, enjoyed painting and sculpting, playing the piano, collecting, reading and sharing books. She loved her state and her country and was a proud member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Aurelia was a tireless student of history and lineage, both her own and that of others. She enjoyed sports and was a good tennis player and coach in her youth. While attending the University of Colorado, she was proud to have been the ninth female to ascend the First Flatiron Mountain near Boulder, Colorado. Wildlife and animals, especially dogs, were close to her heart at all times. Aurelia held a strong Christian faith and was a student of the Bible, especially the New Testament. She was an exceedingly caring person who supported numerous charities, people, and causes in countless ways at all times.
Aurelia was married to Bert A. Nelson for fifty-two years and together they raised five children. Aurelia selflessly dedicated her entire adult life to caring for others; her parents, her brothers, husband, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, her children’s friends, their friend’s friends, neighbors, and anyone else who would allow her to mother them. Her home was the center of activity for the neighborhood kids with swimming, football, basketball, ping pong, pool, motorbikes, go carts, skateboards, archery, BB guns, sling shots, golf, virtually every board game, arts and crafts, and plenty of cookouts, much in the manner of a summer camp that operated year-round.
Aurelia is survived by her daughter and 4 sons: Karen E. Nelson; William B. Nelson and wife, Karen; Bruce C. Nelson and wife, Debbie; Thomas H. Nelson and Gordon H. Nelson; 7 grandchildren, Jacqueline Nelson, Nikole Parker, Will Nelson, Brie Brown, Hope Nelson, Cole Nelson, Byron Nelson; along with 4 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, Thomas P. “Bud” Cobb Jr. and wife, Judy; sister in law, DeEtte Cobb Meter; many beloved cousins, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her cherished younger brother, Joe Paul Cobb.
The family would like to acknowledge their gratitude to Joe Lynch, Total Hospice and Trinity Personal Care for the loving, compassionate care they provided Aurelia in her final weeks as well as Cecilio and Connie Gomez for decades of trusted service, help and friendship.
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