It was a sad week in Minneapolis, and Decorah, and in many other places in the United States and Norway — we lost Lila Nelson. She passed away gracefully, slipping away over the course of a few days.  Less than two weeks before she died, she came to an evening celebration at the Weavers Guild.  She was able to talk with many friends, and see her weavings up in the Textile Center Library, part of a retrospective of works done by members of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group.

When informing a wide network of friends, Claire Selkurt included a poem written by Lila.

Friendship

Two simple syllables, heard every day
And sometimes tossed out in a casual way.

Suggesting a person who happened to be,
In our complex existence on the periphery.

A slightly known neighbor who works at
Odd hours,
Or one who’s absorbed with her house and
Her flowers.

But friendship, dear friends is to you and
To me
Something too big for a dictionary.

It’s basic and boundless
It’s built on a rock;
It’s silky as satin,
And tough as a sock.

It rolls with the seasons;
It withstands all weather.
And, high road or low road,
We dance it together.

A celebration of Lila’s life will be held at the Textile Center on June 25th, 2015, from 5-7pm.  Here are two obituaries with details of Lila’s life: the first one, written by Claire Selkurt, Lila Nelson, and an obituary written by a staff writer,  Lila Nelson, educator and artist of Norwegian textiles, dies at 93.  There will be additional information in the next NTL issue, which will come out in late June, following the celebration.