Rev. Richard E. "Dick" Nelson, 82, of Duluth, passed away peacefully in the presence of family Wednesday, Feb., 11, 2009, in Benedictine Health Center.
He was born in Marquette, Mich., on May 5, 1926, to Victor and Ethel (McCullough) Nelson.
Rev. Nelson received his Bachelor of Arts Degree, with honors, from Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Mich., in 1950 and received his Masters of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, in 1953. At McCormick, he met his wife, Dorothy "Dorty" Rawlings Nelson. They married on Aug. 28, 1952.
From 1953 to 1956, Rev. Nelson served as pastor of Presbyterian churches in Dafter, Donaldson, and Neebish Island near Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. From 1956 to 1964, he served as Campus Minister for the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa. From 1962 to 1963, he served as Associate Secretary of the Pakistan Student Christian Movement, Lahore, Pakistan. In 1964, the Nelson family moved to Duluth where Richard served in United Campus Ministry for the University of Minnesota , Duluth, and University of Wisconsin, Superior. After his service in Campus Ministry, Rev. Nelson served as interim pastor at Presbyterian and United Church of Christ churches in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Kentucky. From 1972 to 1979 he was stated clerk of the Duluth and Northern Waters Presbyteries.
Through their lives together, Richard and Dorothy were involved in many cultural, historical and social justice groups including Matinee Musicale, Duluth-Superior Symphony Assoc., Duluth Area Peace Center, Duluth Schools Human Relations Committee, Head of the Lakes World Affairs Center, St. Louis County Historical Society, the Native American Art Studies Association and the Marquette County Historical Society. They collected religious art, old maps, prints and paintings of the Great Lakes area, Native American baskets, beadwork and weavings, and works by contemporary Native American artists. Material from their collections has been shown in dozens of exhibits in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Canada. Paintings and artifacts from the collections have been illustrated in many books and exhibit catalogs.
Richard recently donated an important collection of American Indian Art to the Tweed Museum at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. For this generous donation, he was honored by the UMD School of Fine Arts with induction into the Society of Prometheans on Oct. 6, 2008.
Richard and Dorothy also shared a passion for opera and traveled around the world enjoying various operatic venues. With their love for music, the Nelsons supported the building of the Jaeckel organ in Pilgrim Congregational Church. They commissioned several original scores for this organ. Memorials in Richard's name are preferred to the Pilgrim Congregational Church Music Fund.
Richard was a United States Navy Veteran, serving from August 18, 1944, to August 6, 1946.
He is preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Dorothy (Oct., 17, 1998); and sister, Dorothy Jean (Nelson) Bradley
Survivors include his two children; daughter, Christine L. (Ben) van Lierop of Hopkins, Minn.; and son, John V. (Jean) Nelson of Edina, Minn.; grandchildren, Johan, Leif and Christiaan van Lierop and Justin and Jenae Nelson; brother, Harold (Dorothea) Nelson of Homer, Mich.; and numerous other family and friends.
MEMORIAL SERVICE: 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, 2009, in Pilgrim Congregational Church with a dinner reception to follow. Rev. Charlotte Frantz officiating. Inurnment will be at Scandia Cemetery.
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