Friends, colleagues remember Nelson

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This article was published 26/09/2022 (1236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Laughter and fond memories of Diane Nelson were flowing freely at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium on Saturday, and her friends and family say that was the best way to honour her.

Around 100 people gathered at the WMCA — which was referred to as Nelson’s “second home” — to reflect on her life and accomplishments. True to her love for live performance, several people took to the stage to talk about sharing their lives and collaborations with the celebrated columnist, journalist, singer, editor, stage actor and college instructor.

The celebration of life also included recordings of her singing, several photos of her and a special performance of one song from “Into The Woods,” in which Nelson once played the Witch.

Nelson, who would have turned 63 today, died Aug. 1.

While there was grief, friend and fellow Assiniboine Community Theatre member Ken Jackson said the celebration was kept light and fun because that is what Nelson would’ve wanted, plus a theatrical touch because live performance was her passion.

“Diane was a very large part of this community in her work with students, at The Brandon Sun, and through the music scene in Brandon, as well as through musical theatre, which was one of her loves,” Jackson said. “Today isn’t a sad say. Diane would’ve wanted a celebration, and that is what today is meant to be — to celebrate what she gave back to Brandon.”

Everyone who got on stage to talk about her had the same theme, no matter the circumstance. They all described her bubbly personality, infectious laugh, passion for performance and uncanny ability to make everyone she was with feel like they were the most important person to her in that moment.

Younger brother Grant Nelson said he knew that he wasn’t alone in being broken-hearted over the loss of his sister, but said if anyone in the family would be standing on the stage to speak for the family, it would be her.

“Many could say a life at 63 years was cut short, but she packed a lot into those 63 years,” he said. “Her many careers, her marriage, being a devoted daughter, sister, granddaughter, sister-in-law, coach, mentor, collaborator, singer, performer, actor, producer, journalist, winning accolades — the list could go on and on.”

Nelson had a host of talents, Grant said, but her best times were with her husband, Ken McPhail, travelling, enjoying a book on her back porch or being in the company of friends.

And as for her love of wine, he jokingly said she would be spending that time enjoying a glass, or three. The two reminisced over their lives growing up in Brandon, he said, often remembering their misadventures as latch-key kids and that time they lost their house key and having to break into their home by crawling through a basement window.

Nelson was a Brandon Sun journalist from 1986 to 2001, and former editor Jim Lewthwaite described how her sweet nature and encouragement was a much-needed antidote for the at-times acerbic atmosphere in the newsroom.

“Back then in the Sun building, the newsroom was known as the powder keg because emotions ran high and it wasn’t unusual for papers, Coke bottles and even typewriters to go flying with intent at someone,” he said. “Whenever someone had just finished arguing with an angry reader or source, she always lent encouraging words.”

As a journalist, she covered several beats, including arts and culture and health, winning several awards for her articles.

She also extended her writing and editing skills to her fellow reporters, as friend and former Sun colleague Kathleen Martens recalled light-heartedly.

Describing Nelson as “the skinny chick with the big hair” who walked into the newsroom to talk to the editor and never left, she and Nelson became good friends, even though Nelson frequently corrected her work.

“She would always tell me ‘Kathleen, I know you want to be right,’” she said. “You couldn’t let the hair fool you — she had a big brain under it.”

That keen attention to detail — as well as spelling, grammar and punctuation as many jokingly pointed out — led her to become an instructor in Assiniboine Community College’s Media and Communications program. Greg Sherris said she was an inspiration to the faculty and her students, making what was usually boring or stressful writing classes engaging.

“There is an entire generation of writers and reporters that she helped develop that came from the college,” he said.

But above all, she is remembered for her love of performance.

To honour his fellow actor, James Forsythe took to the stage to perform in character to “chew” Nelson out for dying before him, lamenting no one was going to sing at his funeral.

“So flip that mane of yours, keep your beady eyes open, because I’ll be coming for you!” he joked.

Then he came out of character, and asked the audience “So, what do you think? I finally got in the last word.”

» kmckinley@brandonsun.com

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