Obituary of Shelly Marie McElwee VanBerkom

Shelly Marie McElwee VanBerkom Shelly, age 46, passed away August 14, 2011 in Lacey, Washington. She was born February 21, 1965 in Aberdeen, Washington, to Mike Nelson and Connie Mowell. She was raised by Connie and David Mowell, whom she called Dad, and her grandmother, Pat Nelson, who she loved very much. Shelly went to North Thurston High School, and lived in Olympia most of her life. She also lived for periods of time in the Boise, Idaho area and in North Dakota. She married Tim McElwee in 1982 and had one daughter (Lisa) together. In 1987 she fell in love with Todd VanBerkom and they had two daughters (Ashley and Cydnee) together, who she spent the rest of her life with. Her life revolved around being a mother, nurturer and caregiver. She was loving, genuine, giving, sensitive, comical, intuitive, and always felt the need to take care of people. She loved nature and being outdoors, camping, hiking and collecting rocks. Shelly is survived by her husband, Todd VanBerkom; daughters, Lisa McElwee (Matt) Bell, Ashley and Cydnee VanBerkom; grandchildren, Aiden, Faith and Taylor; dad, David Mowell; father, Mike Nelson; grandma, Pat Nelson; brothers, Jimmy and Tony Nelson; sister, Daemian Murphy. She was preceded in death by her mother, Connie Mowell. Please leave memories of Shelly or condolences for the family by clicking on “View Guestbook” below.