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Lahoma Kerr Nelson, 89, a law enforcement pioneer from Norman went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011.
A memorial is planned for 2:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, in First Christian Church in Norman. Arrangements are by Havenbrook Funeral Home.
Lahoma was born Nov. 18, 1921, to George Dewey and Nona Mae Kerr in Oklahoma City.
After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, Lahoma taught English at the Tohatchi Navajo Reservation school in New Mexico. In 1972, she graduated from the Norman Police Department Academy as one of the first female police officers. Lahoma attended training at the FBI national headquarters in Quantico, Va., and specialized in the areas of crisis intervention and police community relations. She had more than 1,400 hours of specialized and in-service training in the field of law enforcement.
She probably is most known for her love of the children of the Norman and Cleveland County areas who she referred to as “her little darlings.”
Officer Nelson taught generations of area children — and loved having them (and their parents) greet her with hugs around town. In addition to Safety Town, she taught safety classes in the Norman and Little Axe public schools and area day-care and Head-Start programs for many years.
Lahoma was a pioneer in the establishment of the Safety Town Project in 1977 for kindergarten and first-grade students. She was very proud that there is a street in Safety Town named for her.
She retired from the Norman Police Department in 1988 with the rank of Master Police Officer, serving as head of the Police Community Relations Unit. She then joined the Cleveland County Sheriff 's Department, where she served as the Community Relations Deputy for 19 years, retiring in 2007.
She served on the Oklahoma Department of Education committee to write safety curriculum's for fourth to sixth grades and for seventh anda ninth grades. She taught in the Highway Patrol's cadet lawmen class in 1976-1977 and was an instructor for the Norman Police Academy. She also was a member of Kiwanis.
Lahoma also served First Christian Church of Norman as an officer, elder and deacon. She was a member of Phi Mu Sorority
Lahoma was preceded in death by her parents and her two sisters.
Survivors include her sons, Steve and wife Betsy Nelson and Donald Nelson and her grandchildren Justin, Serana, Christina, Stephen and David Nelson. She was a proud member of the Choctaw Nation.
The family suggests memorials to First Christian Church, Aging Services
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