Richard E. Nelson

Richard (Dick) Nelson passed away in his sleep March 18th in Anacortes, Washington. Dick had been recovering from a recent stint in the hospital.Dick was born in Menomonie, Wisconsin November 18, 1924. He moved with his parents to Portland, Oregon when he was 2 years old and grew up there until he volunteered into the Army Air Corps in 1943. He was assigned to the 16th Weather Squadron during World War II and was stationed near Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. After the war he returned to Oregon to complete a Bachelor'?s Degree at Oregon State in German, but he was actually a Chemist when he entered into the private work world. He helped develop hardboard products on the west coast when hardboard technology was first being industrialized.Dick married Joyce Holen in 1949 after having met each other at Reed College. They had a daughter, Janis, and a son, Craig, while living in Bellevue, Washington. They moved to Rock Hill, South Carolina in 1960 as Dick followed a work opportunity there. They lived in South Carolina until 1987, only 26 years longer than Dick had initially asked Joyce to relocate with him. Dick began as a Technical Director and advanced through the Vice President role for the Catawba, South Carolina hardboard business, which he was devoted to help be successful.Dick and Joyce returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1987 and enjoyed 25 years of retirement together from their house with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean in Anacortes, Washington. Dick and Joyce filled those years with trips that varied from sailing rented sailboats in the Caribbean, counting Wildebeests in Africa, boating down the Yangtze River in China, and admiring the scenery in Belize, South America. But Dick'?s favorite adventures were at his and Joyce'?s log cabin on a world class trout lake in remote British Columbia. Dick and Joyce enjoyed many quiet trips there together year-round. Dick also enjoyed the many annual family reunion treks to the cabin with Joyce and their extended family. Those trips are where attentive youngsters learned key life-skills like how to operate a chain saw; or balance buckets of lake water climbing up a forty-five degree incline; or tie a fly on a fishing line; or skin bark off of logs to make benches.Dick passes on a legacy that will go beyond his '''Rock of the Month Club''? for his grandkids; or the memorable, dry humor jokes with his past coworkers; or teaching grandkids how to dry out a rain-soaked tent. Dick'?s legacy will be the kids, the grandkids and the acquaintances that remember Dick as the role model of how to be a true gentleman; and that he was someone who strove to make life just a bit better for those he touched during his own life.Dick requested that his service be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to The American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which Dick supported.'''Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo''?