Bruce Nelson

Rockford – Bruce A. Nelson, 88, passed away Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017. He was a longtime Rockford resident. Bruce was the only child of Arthur and Edith (Carlson) Nelson. He is the beloved husband of Florence (Klein) Nelson and the great father of Russ (Candace) Nelson and Debra Nelson.

Being an Eagle Scout, Bruce was co-leader of Sea Scouts Ship 508, a group whose purpose was to help scouts with water skills on the Rock River, like canoeing. While serving four years in the Navy during the Korean War, Bruce handled classified material and worked at the Pentagon under the Chief of Naval Operations. Upon returning to Rockford, Bruce joined the Rockford Fire Department; he retired after 25 years of service. A great deal of Bruce’s life was spent with residents of nursing homes playing and enjoying Country Western music. He had his own band, “Blackhawk Country” with talented musicians Jim Becker and Dean Johnson. Together they played 60-70 music jobs a year. In his spare time, Bruce enjoyed the company of several clubs: the Eagles Club, the Tebala Shrine and the Brother Masons. He was a teacher for the Guitars for Vets program.

After retiring, Bruce and Florence, his wife of 64 years, traveled to 10 foreign countries, the most enjoyable being Scotland.

It was Bruce’s wish to have a small family funeral only held on Tuesday. He will be buried in the Masonic section of Sunset Memorial Gardens, 8800 N. Alpine Road, Machesney Park. We wish to thank all those who so enriched Bruce’s life with music and song.