Family Of Longtime Fair Worker Seeks To Honor Her With Memorial Bench

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- From missing children to medical calls, she served the State Fair Police Department for nearly 40 years at the front desk.

But there will be a noticeable absence inside the police building this summer.

Karen Nelson, 80, died unexpectedly in a car accident this winter.

Now, her family is making sure her memory will live-on in a fitting way on the fairgrounds.

"She came to every concert, every dance recital and every ball game," said Sara Cobb, her niece.

Never getting married herself, Nelson always showed up for her 13 nieces and nephews and for the state she loved.

She served as a longtime volunteer for the Minnesota Twins.

But, it was at the end of August when her one true duty called.

"It became tradition that if you went to the fair, you went to see Karen," Cobb said.

For 38 years, Nelson worked alongside the State Fair Police Department.

First, she was a dispatcher in a tiny shack, then she moved to the front desk in the department's brand-new building.

Her boss, Art Blakey, served as police chief until his retirement at 82 just last year.

"She'd call me in December: 'Art, are you going to have me back again?' I'd say, 'Karen, quit calling, you'll know you're back,'" Blakey said.

"When I heard that she had passed away, it was shocking because she was so vibrant," he added.

Never one to shy away from technology, Nelson chronicled her fair visitors online.

"Once Facebook became a thing, you know you're going to see her, you know you're going on her Facebook page," Cobb said.

It's why her family would still like a place to snap pictures in her memory at fair-time.

They're raising $2,500 to erect a memorial bench at the fair in Nelson's name.

"I think what we want is to honor something she loved," Cobb said.

There are 900 Memorial benches on the fairgrounds right now. The state fair foundation adds about 100 every year. The $2,500 price tag also covers improvements to buildings and the grounds at the fair.

Nelson's family still needs to raise about $700 by July 1 to have the memorial bench installed in time for this year's fair.

To help, click here.