Ronald Edward Nelson

Ronald Edward Nelson passed away on January 21, 2026 at the age of 66. Ron was born on June 5, 1959 in Detroit, Michigan to Edwin and Shirley Nelson. Ron’s father Edwin was born Edwin L. Nieradka but changed his last name to Nelson as a young man. Ron grew up in Mansfield, Ohio, where he graduated high school and then moved to Portland, OR with his family. Although his parents and sister did not stay in Oregon long, Ron decided to remain and went on to graduate from Portland State University with an accounting degree; passing the CPA exam on the first try. Ron worked as a CPA until his early 30’s at Perkins & Co. He then accepted a job with one of his clients, NW Aluminum, in The Dalles, OR as the accounting manager. Ron married his wife of 27 years, Beth Armentrout at Cannon Beach, OR in 1997. They lived, adventurously, for a time in Moiser, OR on 17 acres with their Australian Shepherds, Annie and Louie, before moving into The Dalles. Ron’s daughter Brenna was born there in 2003. After the shut down of the aluminum plant, Ron accepted a job at Hynix in Eugene, OR. Daughter Molly was born in 2006 during his time in Eugene. After Hynix returned to Korea, Ron took a job in Kennewick, WA at Infinia Corp. The family moved back to SW Portland in the Hillsdale neighborhood in 2012. Ron was set to retire in just a few short weeks from Accretech SBS in Portland.

Ron loved the beach, particularly, the Oregon Coast, golf, watching movies, listening to music (The Beatles), college football (Michigan), and finding estate sale treasures and vintage trinkets (Peanuts/Snoopy to name a favorite). Ron enjoyed home improvement projects and hiking. He had a soft spot for dogs.

Ron is survived by his daughter Brenna Nelson, and Beth Armentrout (former wife) both of Portland, OR. His older brother Robert Nelson (Portland, OR), younger sister Sherry Neely (Ashland, OH), nieces Lindsey Flick and Kassidy Grife (Ashland, OH).

Ron is preceded in death by his daughter Molly Nelson (8/12/2025), his parents, and his oldest brother Lawrence Nelson.

At this time, no service is planned per his wishes.

Organizations close to Ron’s heart:

- The Visual Snow Initiative: [https://www.visualsnowinitiative.org/]

- 988 Lifeline-Teen Suicide Prevention: [https://988lifeline.org/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=onebox]

- The Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network-Oregon State University: [https://mmi.oregonstate.edu/ommsn]