Dana (Nelson) Muret

Dana Nelson Muret, beloved wife of Don Muret and proud mother of Madeline Claire and Carolyn Audrey, died on March 5, 2023, after a short illness. Dana was born on July 20, 1963 in northwest Indiana and graduated from Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana.

She obtained her bachelor’s degree in social work from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and her master’s degree in gerontology from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Dana spent the following 20 years in Chicago developing her career as a social worker, first in long term care, and later, in a hospital setting. All told, she gave comfort and guidance to thousands of people over four decades in Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dana and Don met each other through Mark McMichael, a college friend of Don’s from Drake University, and whose grandmother was one of Dana’s patients.

They were married on March 20, 1999 in suburban Phoenix, Arizona and spent the next four years in Chicago, where they had their first daughter, Maddie, in 2001. They moved to Charlotte in June 2003, where Carolyn was born later that year. Dana’s greatest joy was raising her daughters; encouraging them through school and supporting their respective activities, whether it was softball, dance, school band and choir, basketball and church. Both daughters were confirmed at Matthews United Methodist Church.

Dana caught the genealogy bug from Don’s father and developed a passion for discovering her ancestral roots, which led her down a path to the Daughters of the American Revolution, where she became secretary and served two terms as a state regent. She quickly became a favorite among that group for supporting patriotic endeavors and documenting DAR activities. Dana filled the role of state co-chair for three years and District III secretary for five years.

Don and Dana shared a mutual interest in live music and were fortunate to attend many concerts together in Chicago and Charlotte. She loved country artists Wynonna and Toby Keith and had a fascination with Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, whom she would joke about jumping on his tour bus during the band’s performance in Charlotte. Together, they passed their love of music down to Maddie and Carolyn.

Dana was gracious in her praise for Don’s work as a reporter, which he always appreciated. Twenty years ago, she supported their move to Charlotte, a big leap of faith after he got a tremendous job opportunity in the southeast with SportsBusiness Journal. On her own, Dana carved a niche at Carolinas Medical Center, now Atrium Health, where she spent about 19 years working consecutive 12-hour shifts on weekends. She sacrificed Christmas holidays with family to help keep the engine running at the Carolinas’ biggest hospital network. Along the way, she applied her deep knowledge of the social worker industry by serving as a mentor and confidant to co-workers. As part of her commitment, she honed her skills in continuing education to stay on top of her profession. Dana was the absolute best at her job in an often overlooked but critical piece of the health care equation, as documented by many of her colleagues on Facebook.

She was a breast cancer survivor and would post annual reminders on social media, urging women to get a mammogram as a preventive measure. Those posts were just another example of her caring and thoughtful manner in the health care world.

We’re going to miss her deeply, but we know that she will be watching over us as Maddie and Carolyn grow into outstanding young ladies.

A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. CST, Friday, July 21, 2023 at Door Village Cemetery in LaPorte, Indiana, where five generations of her family are interred.

Survivors include her mother, Virginia Nelson; two sisters, Diana Nelson and Dorie Gipson (husband John); one brother, David Nelson (wife Tracey); two nieces, Emily Gipson and Kate Nelson; and three nephews, Gage and Colin Gipson and Drew Nelson.

Condolences may be shared online at www.cutlercares.com.