Roe Kauffman Nelson, 88, who devoted her life to family needs and her Chicago millinery business, died Monday in Palomar Hospital in Escondido, Calif. Mrs. Nelson began Roe Kauffman Millinery in the mid-1930s and ran the hat business until selling it in the mid-1960s. The second oldest of five children, Mrs. Nelson was a dedicated worker who helped support her family during the Great Depression, said her brother, Jack Skobel. After leaving the millinery trade, Mrs. Nelson became an executive secretary to the president of the Cook County Sanitary District. She and her husband, Leo Nelson, the former Illinois state liquor commissioner, retired to San Diego in the mid-1970s. In addition to her brother, survivors include her son, Jack Kauffman. A funeral will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. in Am Yisrael Congregation, 4 Happ Rd., Northfield.
