Ronald Dennis Nelson

Ronald Nelson died peacefully on November 8, 2014 surrounded by his family whom he loved dearly. His keen mind, dry wit, generous spirit and deep faith will be missed by all who knew him.

Ronald was born on January 15, 1930 in Canby, Minnesota to Guy and Lenora Nelson. In 1935 he moved with his parents and brother, Wallace, to the farming community of Hover, WA, where his sisters, Delphia and Judy, were born.

He graduated from WSU in Physical Metallurgy in 1951. He received his Masters in Metallurgical Engineering from the UW in 1957 and his Ph.D. in Material Sciences from Stanford in 1962. He devoted his career to understanding plutonium which he described as "the most complex and interesting metal in the periodic table."

While at the UW he met his beloved wife, Eleanor Koenigswald. After they married Ronald served in Japan as a meteorologist with the Air Force. From 1957 to 1982 he worked at Hanford for General Electric and Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories. The family resided in Grandview, WA where Ronald served as mayor from 1968 to 1976.

He was assigned to the Department of Energy and the State Department in Washington, DC from 1982 until 1995. He worked with the military, International Atomic Energy Agency, the White House, Department of Defense and CIA. He received two patents, was a member and chairman of five national committees and was honored a National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction and National Medal of Achievement by the CIA for his work assessing the Soviet nuclear weapons program. A highlight of his career was meeting with Soviet Union scientists to ask how the two countries could work together to "pursue peaceful uses of plutonium."

Upon his retirement in 1995 he and Eleanor settled in Poulsbo where they built their home overlooking the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Baker. When not planting and pruning, he read books on history and cosmology. Ronald will be fondly remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, neighbor and friend.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor; daughters, Lelia (Kurt) Olson, Karen (Scott) Tobiason and Rene;e (James B) Notkin; grandchildren, Erica, Alan, Spencer, Julia, Ben, Becca, Erik, Liam and Luke; sister Judy (Bill) Bridges and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Ron's life will be held on Sunday, November 23 at 2:00 pm; Union Church, 415 Westlake Ave N, Seattle 98109. Donations may be sent to the Ronald Nelson Memorial Fund of Union Church, the community of faith where Ron worshiped with his family.

Guestbook:

www.tuellmckeebremerton.com

Burial arrangements under the direction of Acacia Memorial Park & Funeral Home.