Eleanor Nielsen

Eleanor J. Nielsen (née Wrede; 26 January 1903 – 26 January 2013) was an American supercentenarian whose age is currently pending by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). She was one of the oldest known people in the US state of Nebraska at the time of her death.

Biography
Eleanor Nielsen was born Eleanor Wrede in West Point, Nebraska on 26 January 1903 to parents John and Anna (née Guenther) Wrede. She had three sisters named Teresa, Marian, and Irene, and a brother named John. She moved with her family to Bloomfield, Nebraska when she was 17, and later got a job with the Bloomfield Telephone Company.

On 14 August 1937, Eleanor married Oluf Peter "Pete" Nielsen and the couple had a son, Wendell, in 1940, who unfortunately passed away the following year aged 18 months following a battle with pneumonia. The couple owned and operated Nielsen Chevrolet in Bloomfield until their retirement in 1955. Nielsen’s parents had passed away in 1938 and 1948 respectively.

Pete Nielsen passed away in 1975 also from pneumonia after 38 years of marriage, and Eleanor lived on her own until the age of 108, when she moved into an assisted living facility in Bloomfield. She played the piano until she was 105, when arthritis prevented her from being able to play. In 2011, aged 108, Nielsen fell and broke her hip, which resulted in her moving to another nursing home in Norfolk, Nebraska. It was reported that she enjoyed bingo, music, and exercise. Nielsen was also involved in many clubs and church groups throughout her life.

Nielsen passed away on 26 January 2013, her 110th birthday. She was survived by a number of nieces and nephews, as well as great and great-great nieces and nephews.