Obituary of Nelda M Winkle
Nelda Mae Winkle August 12, 1941 – March 21, 2024 Nelda Winkle, age 82, of Sacramento, California, passed away peacefully in her home March 21, 2024. Nelda is survived by three adult children, Jaimi Brown, Lori Murphy, and Scott Winkle, as well as her son-in-law of 29 years, Steve Murphy, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Born Nelda Mae Ross in Eldorado, Illinois, she was the fourth of six siblings. Nelda moved with her family to California when she was 12 years old and grew up in the Sacramento area. She graduated from La Sierra High School in 1959 – the school’s first graduating class – where she met her friend and future husband, Keith Winkle. Nelda married Keith in 1970; they were married for 51 years, until Keith’s death in 2021. A highlight of their years together was their nine-year adventure living in Anchorage, Alaska when their kids were young.
Nelda accepted Jesus as her Savior when she was 13 years old. As a young adult, Nelda served with the Billy Graham Crusade in Sacramento as a trained volunteer counselor. She was a member of Arcade Church in Sacramento since her days in the young singles class in the 1960’s, and she contributed to her church in many ways, including assisting in the second-grade Sunday School class as well as being a Pioneer Girls leader. She joined Arcade’s church staff in the 1980’s where she ran the Xerox Room for over two decades, printing and organizing the weekly bulletin as well as all other church printables. She was known for her dependability in her crucial behind-the-scenes role. After her retirement, she continued her commitment to the church’s needs for many years as a volunteer, counting the church offering money each week. When she could no longer physically volunteer in this capacity or attend church on Sundays, Nelda still felt a part of the church by watching Arcade’s services online every week until her death.
Throughout her life, Nelda enjoyed various hobbies such as bowling and target shooting. During her retirement years with Keith, she most enjoyed being at home, watching old westerns as well as cheering for her favorite baseball teams on TV – both the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants had her support. As a way of honoring Nelda, a special donation can be made to the offering at Arcade Church (https://www.arcadechurchonline.com/give). I’m sure the church volunteers wouldn’t mind counting a little extra, just as Nelda did for so many years.
