Lloyd Henry Nelson

My father, Lloyd Henry Nelson, was born on March 24, 1935 in Minneapolis, MN to Lloyd and Elizabeth Nelson. He grew up with his grandparents, as his mother remarried early on and started a new family. Dad grew up in a restricted household; he wasn't allowed to go out and play much as a child, and had very few toys or fun things to do.

He met his future wife, Dorothy Beyer, when they were in 3rd grade. Their families attended the same church in Minneapolis, and they married right after graduating high school. Dad decided to join the Navy to support his family. He was with the Navy for 20 yrs; stationed in Japan, San Diego, Hawaii, and he also worked as a secretary to the Secretary of State at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. At the Pentagon, he was entrusted to type top military secrets, and he was a highly trustworthy and skilled typist.

He received several awards for his excellent performance.

Right after he retired from the Navy, the family moved to Edmonds, WA, because his wife's mom and dad lived in Seattle. Dad worked for a construction company for a number of years, he also did some housepainting and had a landscaping business.

He went back to college and received a degree in Horticulture from Edmonds Community College, as he was interested in flowers, landscaping and gardening. He also worked for Aetna Building Maintenance Company at the Allstate Building in Seattle. After he retired from this position, he and his wife, who was a registered nurse, started an Adult Family Home business, where they took care of the elderly.

In 1998, both of my parents were diagnosed with cancer, and they could no longer continue with the Adult Family Home business. Dorothy died in July, 2001, but Dad's cancer temporarily went into remission. Dad started volunteer work at the PacMed in Lynnwood, but he felt that it was his calling to go into assistant pastor work at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Lynnwood. He took correspondence classes to become an assistant pastor. However, he was not able to complete the training, as his cancer resurfaced in April 2004. Both of my parents were devoted Church goers from the very beginning of the time that they were together. That was a very strong bond that they had.

Dad was always interested in family history. Through his research, he found out that he was related to Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, on his mom's side of the family. Dad even resembled Martin Luther in both his physical appearance and his character. Dad had a really big heart, he gave 100% of himself to others. He would give his love, and I could see that he had such strong love for others. He would smile and say, "He or she is a really good guy or gal". Anyone could see that he meant what he said.

Dad's wisdom was down to earth and realistic. He was fair and gave consideration to all people. He didn't steamroll over other peope and take it to extremes, he was careful in what he said. He didn't give long speeches on how things should be; he held his tongue and listened to others. If someone gave a loud opinion, my Dad would quietly say, "I think this is what we should do". My Dad was not an exremist. He would try to make everyone happy and give consideration to those others walked all over. He had a careful, loving, wise, yet truthful character, that made Martin Luther who he was, and I could see it in my Dad and his descendants today. My friends and I coined a phrase after my Dad -- "the wise man". My friends would call and ask "how's the wise man'" We would laugh and say, "yes, he is the wise man".

Dad never smoked and he didn't like smoking. It is ironic that he died from a lung cancer. Dad said, "Everything we have is loaned to us". I think about what he said, and it is such a wise way to see the world. He gave a lot of thought and concern about life and the things going on. Dad was so kind, generous, and eager to help. His tender, merciful and warm heart will follow him and never be forgotten. We love you Dad forever! Jon, Ana, Danny, Michael, Alex.

Lloyd Henry Nelson, U.S. Navy, ret.

age 69, Lloyd was born March 24, 1935 in St. Paul, MN to Lloyd E. Nelson and Elizabeth P. Johnson Nelson. He passed away August 4, 2004 in Lynnwood, WA. Lloyd was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 46 years Dorothy Nelson, and daughters Kelly and Gina.

Lloyd is survived by his sons Roderick "Rick" Nelson of Monroe, WA and Jon wife Anastasia Nelson of Lynnwood, WA. Also surviving are five grandsons: Alexis, Daniel and Michael Nelson and Cody and Keegan Hassan; four brothers: Patrick, Leslie, Steven and Donald Richardson and two sisters Joyce Ted Rivas and Janelle Krebsbach.

Lloyd was a career Navy man. He entered the Navy in St. Paul, MN on August 10, 1953 and was discharged in 1974. He remained on reserve status until his official retirement on March 1, 1983.