Richard James Nelson

Richard was born in 1941 in Upper Darby, PA to Alfred and Katherine Nelson. He moved to Coachella, CA, in 1947, at a young age, with his Mother, Brothers and Sister, to join their Father who had taken a job with the US Government. The family subsequently moved to Northern California in 1949 where they settled in Vacaville where Richard grew up. He graduated from Vacaville Union High School in 1959, joining the US Navy at the age of 19, He was stationed on the USS Kitty Hawk, CVA 63 and was very proud of having been a member of the original crew of this aircraft carrier.

Upon discharge from the US Navy, Richard was introduced to his future wife, Stephanie Davidson, who lived in San Francisco. They were married at St. Philomine’s Roman Catholic Church in Sacramento, CA on December 30, 1965 and settled down in Sacramento, CA, where Richard worked for Mobil Chemical Company in Woodland, CA, as a Quality Control Supervisor. After the birth of his son, Jon, in 1967, Richard decided to further his education and attended California State University, Sacramento and graduated with a BS Degree in Business Administration (Finance).

After moving to Denver, CO, from 1979 to 1985, he became a lifelong fan of the Denver Broncos and was thrilled when they won the Super Bowl in 2016.

After moving back to the Bay Area in 1985, Richard worked in the financial services industry and also passed his NASD Series 7 exam, which enabled him to sell stocks and bonds. Richard and Stephanie moved to the Puget Sound area in 1994 living in Bellevue, WA and moved to Renton, WA in 1999.

His hobbies were camping, fishing, hunting, and football.

He is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Stephanie (Stevie), of Renton, WA and son, Jon R. Nelson, also of Renton, WA; Brothers, Charles Alfred (Chick) Nelson of Portland, OR; David L, Nelson of Vacaville, CA; Gordon Bagley of Redding, CA; and sister, Katherine (Kay) Nelson Bailey of Sacramento. Another Brother, Robert A (Bobby) Nelson of Vacaville, CA preceded him in death. He also had several nieces and nephews, and several great-nieces and nephews.. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be sent to either Providence Hospice of Seattle or Swedish Cancer Center in Issaquah Highlands. Special thanks go to Dr. David W, Dong, and the Oncology Staff at Swedish for their excellent care.

A memorial Service will be held at Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton, WA, on April 28, 2016 at 11:30 am with a reception following. Guest Book can be found at greenwoodmempark.com.