Gerald Rodger Nelson

Gerald Rodger Nelson was born in St. Croix Falls, WI on November 14, 1965 to Margaret (nee Wenell) and G. Rodger Nelson. He was baptized and confirmed in Immanuel Lutheran church, attended Almelund grade school in Almelund, MN and middle and high school at North Branch, MN. Gerry was a member of the choral group in high school for all four years, played trumpet in the high school band for all four years, the last two years in the jazz band. Gerry was a member of the cross-country track team during his Sophomore, Junior and Senior years – training which ultimately led to Gerry mastering the art of the marathon. In his senior year, he was a member of the cast in a high school production of The Princess and the Pea as well as serving as the vice president of the student council that year. Gerry then attended University of Colorado at Boulder where he majored in engineering, and was briefly a member of the R.O.T.C. He then continued his studies at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL where he received his B.A. in business, graduating with a GPA of 3.9. After college, Gerry secured a position with The Hartford, an insurance company, where he worked for almost 2 years. Gerry left The Hartford to return to graduate school at the Crummer School of Business at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL where he obtained his MBA. After graduate school, Gerry went to work for the Disney Corporation in Orlando FL in finance. After a few years in that position, in 1997, he was promoted and moved to the Disney corporate headquarters in Burbank, CA. He quickly rose in rank to become the Director of Disney Corporate Finance. During his time in California, Gerry met his partner Scott W. Stevens in 1997, in Pasadena CA. In 2002, Gerry moved to Austin, TX with Scott, who had obtained a faculty position at the University of Texas at Austin. Gerry began working for Dell Financial Services as a Senior Finance Manager for various units. In 2011, he was promoted to Director of Finance for their End-of-Lease portfolio. Two of Gerry’s favorite pastimes were traveling with Scott to new places and eating good food with great friends. Gerry and Scott traveled all around the world visiting 4 continents and over 50 countries. Gerry was an accomplished athlete especially in marathon running having run his first marathon in 1996 and finishing 40 full marathons in the years since then. His personal best was an impressive 2:59:57, which put him in the elite class of sub-3 hour marathon runners. Tragically, he was never given the chance to reach his goal of 50 marathons by his 50th birthday. He also enjoyed playing volleyball very much, and the friends he made there were very important to him.

Gerry was a great fan of the arts; he performed by singing and playing the piano. He loved to attend as many concerts, plays and other performances as he could. He recently became a devoted follower of opera and enjoyed the many performances he was able to experience with Scott. Philanthropy and community service became very important to Gerry in his last several years. He has been the Treasurer of his neighborhood homeowners association since 2004. He is a very generous contributor to many causes, including the Town Lake Trail Foundation, KUT radio and NPR, Goodwill, Project Transitions and the Red Cross. His most passionate philanthropic endeavor was the Candlelight Ranch, a not-for-profit charity which serves children with special needs. Gerry was a generous contributor of both time and money and was instrumental in organizing volunteers and volunteering his own time. For his dedication, efforts and his vision he was appointed as the Vice President of the Board of Directors as well as their Director of Development. Gerry was a passionate lover of his animals. His American Eskimo dog Farnsworth (1989-2004) and our current boys Bob and Wally were among his most deeply cherished things in the world. Gerry just loved people - being with people, laughing with people, joking with people and eating good food with people. Everyone Gerry knew loved him in return, for his generosity, his humor, his friendship and the eternal sunshine you felt in his presence. Gerry was preceded in death by his father G. Rodger Nelson in 2007. Gerry is survived by Scott, his loving and devoted partner of 14 years, his mother Margaret (Peggy) Ament and stepfather David Ament (Oviedo, FL), his brother Robert John (Almelund, MN), his sister Brenda Elizabeth (Orlando, FL), and his sister Judy Ann Gormanson (Stillwater, MN). Gerry left this world, suddenly and unexpectedly on April 20, 2011, far too young at only 45 years old.