- Date Of Birth: October 2, 1947
- Date Of Death: March 13, 2022
- State: Colorado
Nelse was born in Kearney, Nebraska on October 2, 1947, and passed away in Littleton, Colorado on March 13, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Joyce, his son, Brian (Piper), his daughter, Lisa, (Brian), his daughter, Carrie, his granddaughters, Elin and Sonja, his grandson, Nelse, and one sister, Kay. He is preceded in death by his dad, Irv, his mom, Gina, his brothers, Rob and Rex and sister Angie.
Nelse lived in Holdrege, Nebraska until he was seven years old when he moved to Denver and attended elementary school. He moved to Littleton when he was 11 years old and attended Euclid Middle School and Littleton High School. He was always grateful for the lifelong friends he made during those years.
He attended the University of Colorado, Boulder. In order to pay his tuition, he worked in the print shop at IBM. Nelse became a forever CU Buffs fan and attended every home football and basketball game, as long as he was able. All three of his kids followed him to Boulder and they are also forever Buffs! They came to as many home games as possible with him. He was always so proud of that.
Nelse was drafted in 1970 and spent his military career in Washington, Texas, and South Korea. When he returned from his tour of duty he went back to CU and finished his bachelor’s degree.
When not working at Comet Press or attending Buffs events, Nelse and Joyce loved to go camping and boating with their family. The trips were always big events with various aunts, uncles and cousins joining in. He also went on fishing trips to the Flaming Gorge once or twice a year with the guys. He really enjoyed these trips, whether they caught any fish or not. Nelse loved his boat and motorhome but also loved to go on “airplane trips.” He was able to travel with his family to such places as California, Hawaii, Alaska, Boston, South Padre Island, etc. In the last 10 years, Nelse and Joyce had so much fun taking long road trips together. They travelled through New England at fall foliage time, through the Northwest, California, all through the South and the Southwest, and parts of the Midwest. Many of these trips were in the motorhome but sometimes in his truck. He was able to see so many things that he was interested in.
Nelse’s family was always the most important thing in his life. Everything he did was with them in mind, and he made sure that they had everything they needed and the opportunity to do whatever they wanted to do. He and Joyce spent many afternoons, evenings and weekends attending their kids activities and made so many of their best friends “sitting in the stands”. These friends were important to him and still a big part of his lilfe.
He was so proud of Brian, Lisa and Carrie and always said how lucky he was to have them close by. His grandkids were his pride and joy, and he was grateful he was able to see them so often. He loved his daughter in law, Piper and son in law, Brian and felt fortunate to have them in his family. Nelse was kind and generous to everyone, especially family, friends and the people that worked for him. When someone needed something; he provided it. He was most comfortable when no one knew of his generosity. He was the absolute best Gramps and a remarkable husband, father, brother, and friend. Nelse was quiet, and unassuming – always thoughtful and never mean. His was a life well lived and he will be greatly missed by everyone.
