In 1941 he joined the US Army. He served in Europe during WWII and received his purple heart on the beach in Normandy and was discharged in 1943.
He married his beloved wife Nancy (Clark) in 1964 and they spent 36 years together until she was taken by cancer in 2000. He was born in an era when respect was demanded and this was evident in the way he expected children to be raised. From hard lessons learned to fun family vacations in Pittsburg, NH, to weekend trips to the ocean to Sunday family days with a “big dinner” and an afternoon nap in the sun with his “Sunday sleeping music” playing in the background. He was a great father. He also enjoyed cooking and gardening both flowers and vegetables and was always more than willing to share his wealth of knowledge with others.
He is survived by his companion of 15 years, Eleanor Dulong of Langdon; son, Donald R Nelson Jr. and his wife, Pamela (Wood) of Bernardston, MA; daughters, Carla and her husband, Eric Foster of Winchester, Chelly M and her husband, Carl Downing of Keene; 8 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; sister, Dorothy (Dot) Buffum of Indiana; and many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by three brothers and four sisters; grandson, Donald Downing Freyenhagen; wife, Nancy C Nelson; and daughter, Casandra Lee Dicey.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 19th at the Charlestown Memorial Chapel, 34 Main Street in Charlestown at 11:00 AM. Calling hours will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Friday evening. A reception will be held at noon after the service at the Charlestown VFW. A graveside service with military honors will be at 2:30 pm in Evergreen Cemetery in Winchester.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Sullivan County Nursing Home Activity Center, 5 Nursing Home Drive, Unity, NH 03743.
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