<\/p>\n
Adele Nielsen, a longtime Durango resident, former owner of Olde Tymers Caf\u00e9 and a frequent participant in the Snowdown Follies, died earlier this week from injuries suffered in a fall. She was 68.<\/p>\n
Nielsen was attending the final dress rehearsal for the Follies on Saturday at the Durango Arts Center when she apparently leaned against a curtain, not realizing it wasn\u2019t solid, and fell about 4 feet off the stage and onto the floor, said La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith.<\/p>\n
Nielsen was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center before being flown to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, where she died Tuesday from trauma and blood loss, Smith said.<\/p>\n
She suffered fractures to her leg, pelvis and two bones in her left arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe just kind of leaned against this curtain and went through it,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
Nielsen appeared in 24 productions of the Follies, which is a live sketch-comedy performance with a 34-year history, said Janalee Hogan, producer of the show. She wasn\u2019t in this year\u2019s show but attended the final dress rehearsal to watch friends perform. She fell off the stage before the show started. Hogan wasn\u2019t sure why she was on stage.<\/p>\n
News of her death has been \u201csombering\u201d for cast members, especially for those who have been with the show the longest, Hogan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a little fresh for people,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the other comforting piece of it is, being with friends and family during sadness is one of the most uplifting things you can do, and she was a part of that family, so I think there\u2019s some comfort in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nielsen often appeared solo on stage, portraying silly scenarios and delivering one-liners. One of her most memorable characters was \u201cRindercella,\u201d a parody of Cinderella in 2012, and in 2015, she popped out of a Dell computer box, saying, \u201cDoes somebody need Adele?\u201d \u2013 a testament to how many people knew her by name.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hearts go out to all the friends and family that have known her over the years,\u201d Hogan said. \u201cShe will be truly missed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nielsen moved to Durango in 1968 after following friends here, said her brother, Eric Nielsen, 71, who lives in Bozeman, Montana. She married Sal Graziano, and together they helped start Olde Tymer\u2019s Cafe, a mainstay eatery on Main Avenue in Durango. She held several jobs at Purgatory Resort, including bartender and working in the ticket office.<\/p>\n
Her husband died nearly three years ago, and Nielsen sold her remaining ownership in Olde Tymer\u2019s about 90 days ago, her brother said. In addition to her older brother, she is survived by an older sister, Karen Lamb, and a younger brother, Kent Nielsen. A memorial service is planned for early June.<\/p>\n
He described his sister as a cross between Janis Joplin and Carol Burnett. She lived a full-throttle lifestyle in Durango, drinking with customers in the evenings and then visiting other restaurants to continue partying \u2013 and it took a toll on her body, Eric Nielsen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdele lived an extremely full life for 68 years,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople would have liked to have had that for 90 years, and she probably packed 90 years into 68.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said she would have wanted the Snowdown Follies cast to \u201cenjoy themselves and have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I were Adele, I\u2019d say: \u2018You know what, we put all this work in. This is the time to enjoy our performances and have people enjoy us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Longtime friend John Ivers called her a \u201ccomic innovator\u201d and a \u201cDurango icon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe always had a joke; she had an infectious laugh,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n