Virginia M Nielsen, 66, of Grand Island died Thursday, February 9, 2017, at CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, at St. Leo's Catholic Church in Grand Island. The Rev. Don Buhrman will officiate. Burial will be in Westlawn Cemetery.
Visitation will begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday at St. Leo's Catholic Church, concluding with a Christian wake service at 7 p.m.
Memorials are suggested to St. Leo's Catholic Church.
Virginia Marlene Nielsen was born May 4, 1950, at Kearney to Roger and Mary (Paitz) Shiers. She grew up in Kearney and attended St. James Elementary and Kearney Catholic High School, where she graduated in 1968. She continued her education at Kearney State College, graduating in 1972.
Virginia worked at Baldwin Filters in Kearney following her education.
She married Ron Nielsen on May 3, 1975, at Kearney. They made their home in Kearney, later in Elba, and moved to Grand Island in 1978. In 1979 Virginia began as a maintenance worker for the Nebraska Department of Roads, a position she remained in until her retirement in 2009.
She was a member of St. Leo's Catholic Church and the Platt Deutsche.
In her younger years, she enjoyed horseback riding with her numerous cousins. She also enjoyed sports, especially softball and volleyball, as well as gardening, family vacations and attending her children's sporting events.
Survivors include her husband, Ron Nielsen of Grand Island; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Kurt Nielsen of Omaha and Klint and Sarah Nielsen of Grand Island; a daughter, Adrienne Nielsen of Lincoln; her mother, Mary Shiers of Kearney; four brothers and two sisters-in-law, Dan and Theresa Shiers of McCook, Mark Shiers of Lincoln, Mick and Katy Shiers of Kearney and Andrew Shiers of Alliance; and two sisters, Ann and Rod Teply of Loup City and Sue Shiers (Mark Foell) of Grand Island.
She was preceded in death by her father, Roger Shiers, and a brother John Shiers