Nellie O'Connor Tout Kraus

Nellie O’Connor Tout Kraus of Keizer, OR, passed away peacefully at the age of 92 on May 24, 2020. Nellie O’Connor was born in Great Falls, MT to William G. (Bill) O’Connor and Mary Valentine (Mae) Kidd on April 19, 1928. Nellie attended grade school and high school at Saint Mary’s, graduating in 1946 alongside her childhood friends, Rosemary Walsh, Patty Kennedy, Jean Fadden, Kay Schmitz, Jean Dalbec, Betty Shaw, and Bertie Skees. The women maintained enduring friendships throughout their lifetimes. Nellie worked for many years in the finance office of Mr. Kotter and later for Moran and Mulvaney Jewelers. She married Dennis Lyle Tout on September 6, 1948, at St. Ann’s Cathedral in Great Falls. Denny Tout passed in 1973. In 1990, Nellie moved to Portland, OR to be close to her daughter, Trisha Tout Pond, and three grandchildren, Tarah Pond Peterson, Frank Pond, and Dennis Pond. There she met and married John Kraus in 1992, who passed in 2008. Nellie was a devoted grandmother, aunt, mother, sister, and friend. Nellie was very active in her grandchildren’s lives and especially excited about becoming a great-grandmother to Ayden Peterson and Aurelia Hall-Pond. Nellie had a wonderful sense of humor, and she loved to tell stories about her friends and childhood. Deeply loved by her family and friends, Nellie’s enduring kindness, classic style, and passion for purple and pink will be lovingly remembered. Nellie is survived by her daughter, Trisha Tout Pond of Portland; granddaughter, Tarah (Corwin) Pond Peterson; grandsons, Frank Pond and Dennis (Ann-Marie) Pond; brother, Tom (Donna) O’Connor; nieces and nephews, Cathy (Tom) Zolman, Tom Moran, Bill Thares, John Thares, Nick Thares, Tim O’Connor, KC O’Connor, Tara (Greg) O’Connor Slader, Anne (Sean) O’Connor Dimond; stepsons and stepdaughters; John (Cheri) Kraus, Tim (Vicki) Kraus, Steve (Annette) Kraus, Theresa (Greg) Kauffman, Kay (Todd) Fantin; and their children and grandchildren whom Nellie loved as her own. She was preceded in death by her parents and three sisters, Catherine O’Connor Moran, Helen O’Connor, and Pat O’Connor Thares. Memorial Service will take place O’Connor Memorial Chapel on Friday, June 12, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. A private graveside service will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery.