Maxine Wandel Kelso

Maxine “Mickey” Kelso was born May 19, 1930 in Owatonna, MN to Floyd Wandel and Beatrice Melergin.  During her childhood, she lived in several towns including Conrad, IA; Marshalltown, IA; and Federal Dam, MN.  On Nov. 20, 1948, she married the love of her life, Marion “Deed” Kelso and in 1951, they moved to Las Vegas.  They had three children; Jerry, Gary, and Karen who all currently live in Las Vegas.  During her lifetime, she worked as a telephone operator and later as a bookkeeper for their family company, Kelso Trucking.  After they had both retired, they lived for a while at a house on Turtle Lake near Big Fork, MN before eventually moving back to Las Vegas.

Mickey accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was baptized at Shadow Hills Baptist Church in Las Vegas.  She loved Jesus and was very active in church at both Shadow Hills and more recently with Reconciled Church in Las Vegas, being a member of the Helping Hands ministry for years and actively participating in several Bible studies at both churches. 

Anyone who knew Mickey was familiar with her sweet sense of humor, often bringing laughter with her body gestures and facial expressions.  Her family likes to say that she never met a stranger and was prone to strike up a conversation with anyone she met.  She loved bowling, boating, and travelling in their motor home, but more than anything she loved fishing.   Mickey was also active in her local community of Los Prados.  She was a greeter for the Los Prados Women’s Club and worked in Caring Connections for Los Prados as well.  Mickey also rarely missed a Saturday card game with her community friends.

She spent her final days in hospice at her daughter Karen’s house.  During those days, each of her family members constantly surrounded her, sometimes all at once.  Just days before going home to her Lord, when she could barely speak, she suddenly began proclaiming Jesus’s love for people and His desire for all people to be saved.  Some of her final thoughts were to share Jesus’s love with others.  On November 13th, 2023, her family was by her side when Jesus walked her home to begin her new life.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband “Deed” Kelso.  She is survived by her three children Jerry Kelso (wife Linda), Gary Kelso, and daughter Karen Christian; two sisters Lynette Moses and Joyce Bedford; two grandsons Christopher Kelso and Erik Kelso and her great-grandson Jayden Kelso.

A memorial service for Mickey will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday December 2, 2023 at Reconciled Church located at 3080 S. Durango Dr. Ste 105 in Las Vegas.

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