Laurel Diane Nelsen Desaulniers

Posted on September 1, 2021

Laurel Diane Nelsen Desaulniers, 65, of Thomasville, Ga., passed peacefully at home on Aug. 24, 2021, in the presence of her brother, Lance Nelsen, and her nieces, Rachel Hoiles Farrell and Miriam Hoiles Wright, after a long and spirited battle with leiomyosarcoma.

Laurel was born in Queens, N.Y., on March 20, 1956, to Norman Nelsen and Marion Sundstrom Nelsen.

She was a graduate of Saugerties High School and Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

Laurel worked for many years as a social worker and a strong advocate of vulnerable and mentally ill populations before serving as a high school teacher for Thomas County Schools, where she was known and loved by many as “Mrs. D.”

She loved reading, cooking, teaching, gardening and history, and her talents in the kitchen – especially at the holidays – will be remembered by her family always.

She was known for her sharp wit, her long hair and eccentric style, her special knack for telling stories and talking to children, and most of all, her strong and abiding faith in Jesus Christ.

Laurel was preceded in death by her husband of 26 years, Dr. Paul Desaulniers, as well as her father, Norman Nelsen of Steinhatchee.

Laurel will be dearly and profoundly missed by her mother, Marion “Ruby” Nelsen of Perry.

She is additionally survived by: her brother, Lance Nelsen (Karen) of Stevensville, Mont.; her brother Dr. Lee Nelsen (Becky) of Monticello; her sister, Linda Gunter (Fred) of Perry; her brother, Bill Nelsen of Longwood; her brother, Dr. Nels Nelsen (Connie) of Goldsboro, N.C.; her stepson, Paul-Leon Desaulniers of Flossmoor, Ill.; and a large extended family across the United States.

The family would like to offer special thanks to Southwest Georgia Hospice, the doctors of Archbold Medical Center and Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute, and a number of loving friends and neighbors for their support over the years.

A joint memorial service for Laurel and Paul (who passed away in 2020 during COVID-19 lockdown) will be held at Allen & Allen Funeral Home in Thomasville, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m.

The service will also be broadcast live on YouTube.

The family kindly requests that all in attendance wear masks due to the ongoing pandemic.

Friends and family are invited to visit her online memorial tribute page at www.allenfh.com.