Thomas Lee Nelson, known as “Tom” to friends and family, passed away on November 26, 2025, at the age of 82. Born on April 10, 1943, in Bay City, Michigan, he left the nearby small bayside town of Linwood, Michigan, where he was raised, at the age of 17 to start a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Detroit. After graduating, he hired on with Caterpillar and travelled extensively for the company, eventually settling in Portland, Oregon, where he met his wife of 54 years and raised two boys, Justin and Bryan.
Tom proudly raced MGBs with the Cascade Sports Car Club and SCCA up and down the West Coast. He won trophies and acclaim and kept his hands busy under the hood when not out on the track. He was equally passionate about fishing. After retiring, he joined the Oregon Bass and Panfish Club and decorated the walls of his home with the awards he won. He built his own small boat and spent hours on the water pulling up bass, crappie, and bluegill.
He enjoyed volunteering, spending countless hours at the Oregon Zoo, applying his engineering knowledge to the creation of specialized enrichment toys for the animals. He had a special fondness for the elephants and spent years assisting keepers in their care. He also volunteered as a docent at World of Speed, a sports car museum, where he brought his enthusiasm for the sport to touring visitors.
He was proud of his family, and will be remembered by his wife, Gayle, his sons and their wives, Justin and Sara, and Bryan and Pamela, and his two grandchildren, Maxim and Michael.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later time.
Tom will be laid to rest at Skyline Memorial Gardens.
