Nellie A. Droes, 88, passed away peacefully of natural causes at Sierra Place Senior Living in Carson City, Nevada on April 7, 2023.
Nellie was born October 12, 1934, in Reno, Nevada, to Roy B. Schmidt and Louise P. (Swesey) Schmidt. She graduated from Reno High School in 1952. She was united in marriage to Marvin A. Droes on March 3, 1957, in Reno, Nevada. Together they raised two sons, Frederick and Steven.
Nellie’s paternal grandparents and great-grandparents were early Nevada pioneers, settling in the Independence Valley and Tuscarora, Nevada area.
On April 5, 1957, Nellie graduated from Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto, California with a Bachelor of Science Degree. She was then certified to become a registered nurse on June 8, 1957, in Reno, Nevada.
Her career as a nurse included working for Dr. Lynn Gerow in his family practice in Reno, Nevada, in the Washoe County Health Department as a Public Health Nurse, and for the Nevada State Mental Health Hospital in Sparks, Nevada.
In 1975, she graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a Master of Science degree. She continued with her nursing education and obtained her Ph.D. at the University of California at San Francisco. Nellie also taught at the Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Reno for several years and at East Carolina University in North Carolina. In 2013, she retired from East Carolina University and she and her husband moved back to Nevada to live near family.
Marvin and Nellie were loving parents who provided a stable and supportive home for their family. They enjoyed the company of family and friends and were particularly fond of
weekend excursions to the family-owned property north of Truckee, California.
Nellie is predeceased by her husband, Marvin Droes, her sister, Mary Schmidt, and her parents, Roy and Louise Schmidt.
She is survived by her sons, Frederick (Lora Devereaux) and Steven (Kathi Rick); her grandchildren, Shannon Morscheck (JD Morscheck) and Kate Devereaux (Alex Fleiner); her great-grandchildren, Gwyneth, Calvin, and Franklin Morscheck and Esmé Devereaux, as well her sister Lida Schmidt, nieces and a nephew.
The family would like to thank the staff at Sierra Place as well as the nurses at A Plus Hospice Care for their excellent care and support.
In honor of Nellie’s wishes, there will be no burial or memorial services.