Nadine Phyllis Schoemer Carlson was born in Oakland, CA, on August 26, 1945, to Wilbur and Elizabeth (Betty) Schoemer. At an early age she moved with her parents to Melstone, MT, where her father built and repaired houses, and her mother taught school.
Nadine and her family met Harold and Marilou Tannehill who were working at teaching others about Jesus in Melstone and Betty became a believer. This led to Nadine and the rest of the family starting a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus changed the whole family. Nadine’s salvation was truly one of the most life changing events in her life. Because of her new found faith, she felt that she should spend her senior year of high school at Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. Not only did she enjoy studying God’s word at Prairie, but she also met a tall and handsome marine in her second year of Bible school who happened to be from a small town near Nadine’s hometown. At that time, getting to know someone of the opposite sex at Prairie was a challenge, however, Paul and Nadine were able to get acquainted as they carpooled back home to Montana.
Once engaged, Nadine’s dad drove her to Biloxi, MS where Paul was stationed. Her dad told her he would drive her home if she changed her mind about Paul once they got there. She did not and Paul and Nadine were married in Biloxi, MS, on August 28, 1965. Paul had left Prairie to join the Air Force and was in tech school there. They had little money but were able to have a pretty wedding because they got married at a chapel decorated for another wedding that was held the same day. Nadine liked to tell about the time that they slept through a hurricane, not having ever seen one in Montana, waking up they found a fishing boat in their yard the next day. They took hurricane warnings more seriously after that.
Their first daughter, Belinda, was born in 1966. Nadine loved being a mom! Belinda was then quickly joined by sister Jennifer. The family of 4 had a lot of adventures. The Air Force moved them from Great Falls, Montana to Burns, Oregon, then to Klamath Air Force Station in northern California, then to Wheeler, AFB on Oahu, HI. The best souvenir from Hawaii was Stacy who (arrived) was born in 1974. The family returned to Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, Montana in January 1976—this was a huge adjustment for all, but the family did celebrate Christmas 3 times that year. Nadine was always supportive of the moves Paul had to make for his job. She looked forward to setting up new homes and excelled at packing and unpacking. She never slept until the house was a home, often working all night in putting things away.
Nadine was a consistent, supportive parent. She encouraged growth in all areas of life. She continued to teach Bible in Sunday School and was the Child Evangelism Fellowship director in Crescent City, CA, on the family’s second move there. She encouraged music, reading, sewing, and especially baking—she did not bake once the girls were old enough to use the oven, but she liked baked goods a lot. She also taught in the small Christian school in Fort Dick, CA, and her love of teaching grew.
Returning to Malmstrom in Great Falls, MT, (yes, the third time is the charm), Nadine wanted to pursue a teaching certificate. The College of Great Falls (now university of Providence) accepted her two years of Bible school credits leaving her only two years to a teaching degree. She was a straight A student and a role model for her daughters who have all pursued education after high school. She taught at Emmanuel Christian School for many years. When Paul was transferred to Las Vegas, she taught at a private school there as well. They returned to Great Falls after a few years in Vegas and, she became a teacher at Foothills Christian School until she retired. Her favorite subject to teach was Bible.
One of Nadine’s favorite activities was going to garage sales in Saturday mornings. She would search the paper on Friday night and make a list and order the list to try to make it the most efficient route so she could hit as many sales as possible. She loved her treasures and had quite a collection of various trinkets she collected. The most notable collection was bunnies which started with her love of Peter Rabbit and just like with real rabbits her collection grew exponentially. She also loved to look for treasures for other people. She had some great stories from her Saturday adventures but liked them best when she had one or more daughters with her.
Nadine was always a leader inside and outside the classroom. She was very sad when she felt she could no longer teach Sunday School. This was probably the beginning of the disease that ended her life too soon. Nadine went through a few different diagnoses but ultimately was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration. It is a rare and horrible disease that slowly takes away a person’s ability to process information and control their muscles. Through all the rough spots of the journey, Nadine was known as a sweet, thankful person. She enjoyed going to Easter Seals daycare and they loved having her sunshiny attitude. Several months ago, she was moved into assisted living where all the staff enjoyed her company. Due to the severity of her illness, she was placed on hospice care. As the disease process continued to take away more of Nadine both mentally and physically, family members prayed that God would call her home to Heaven as quickly and painlessly as possible. God answered that prayer on January 18, 2025. Although it is sad to lose Nadine from this life, those that believe and accept God’s Gift of Salvation can celebrate Nadine’s life knowing we will be reunited in spirit with her someday.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
