Nellie Degen

Nellie Degen, 77, Jamestown, passed away on August 8, 2024.

A funeral service will be held at 1:30 PM, Tuesday, Aug. 13, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck.

Family will begin greeting guests one hour prior to the service.

Burial will be held at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

Nellie (Lopez) Degen was born June 12, 1947, in California. After graduating from high school, she earned her cosmetology license and opened her own salon in Hacienda Heights, CA. During her ownership of Custom Contouring and Beauty by Nellie, she assisted cancer patients by helping stylize their wigs. She also volunteered & raised money for City of Hope, a non-profit organization for cancer research, treatment & prevention programs. 

Toward the end of her ownership of the salon, she started ‘Self Esteem is Success’ program. It began as a program to assist cancer patients’ make-up, wig designs and help them feel good about themselves & their appearance during and after treatments. The program then evolved into working with young students in the Los Angeles school district. She taught students ways to build their confidence and worked with parents on how to help their children. She produced a TV show with her son for public television airing her program in the LA area.

She was the first female member of the Los Angeles Kiwanis. She was an active member and maintained her membership for many years.

Nellie met & fell in love with William Degen who she called ‘My Honey’. They married on Valentine’s Day of 1996 in Las Vegas. Shortly after their marriage, Nellie & Bill moved to Jamestown, ND to enjoy their retirement. They built their dream home on the Jamestown Reservoir and loved spending time on the lake. Nellie hosted many social gatherings & always cooked a wonderful feast for her guests. 

Although she was retired, she kept herself extremely busy. She was the liaison for the James Valley Lodge #4 Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). In this position, she spearheaded many events for the FOP Cops & Kids program. While she was employed at Wal-Mart, she set up the holiday shopping day for the program. She also implemented the Buddy Bench program for the Jamestown school district. During the major flooding, while her own house was in jeopardy, she spearheaded sandbagging efforts for others in the community. Nellie was also a member of the VFW Women’s Auxiliary. She was a fierce advocate for people, especially those that couldn’t help themselves. She often was able to connect people to services in the community.

She was always willing to lend an ear, provide support or offer advice to anyone. Her heart went out to everyone around her.

Her biggest loves were her two grandchildren, lovingly calling them ‘my Pretty Girl’ and ‘my Handsome Fella’. She provided their first haircuts and kept a lock of each of their hair. She attended as many of their activities as she could. She loved having them to their lake house in the summer where she would host them for a week or longer. She loved spoiling her grandkids with pool parties, presents & all the treats they could ask for. She always said her special ingredient in her cooking was hugs & kisses.

She is survived by her loving son and daughter in-law, Juan & Shannon Thomas and her grandchildren, Lily & Zane. 

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, mother, Lupe Sedillos and grandaughter, Sylvia Thomas.

Following the burial, the family invites you to join them for food and fellowship at the Tumbleweed, 62 Santee Rd, Lincoln, ND. If you were not able to make the funeral, please join us for fellowship.