Richard Ivor Nelson

It is with great sadness that the family of Richard Nelson announce his passing June 9, 2020 at the age of 86 years.  He will be lovingly missed by his bride of 65 years Karen Nelson, his children Kristi Emery, John (Rita) Nelson, Rebecca Nelson, Phillip Nelson (deceased), Gretchen Nelson, Britta (Robert) Fortson and Jennifer Walker.  Richard will be greatly missed by his grandchildren Christopher (Hollie) Morris, Daniel (Elicia) Morris, Carrie Morris Pietarinen, Robert (Kissondra) Morris, Anne Emery, Maire Emery, Keith (Rebecca) Nelson, Michael (BillieJo) Nelson, Crystal Nelson, Andrew Nelson, Caitlin (Christopher Grutsch) Nelson, Richard Schoch III, Ryan (Hanne) Schoch, Patrick (Marwa) Schoch, Madeline Fortson, Phillip Fortson, Madison Parr and Ethan Walker.  Richard will also be fondly remembered by his 15 great-grandchildren.

Richard was born in Morristown, New Jersey, the son of first-generation Swedish immigrants.  Richard was president of his high school class and went on to serve as a page for Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn under the Truman administration.  Richard went on to work as a safety engineer at Hoffman LaRoche in New Jersey.  He raised five of his seven children in Mount Tabor, New Jersey and Monroe County, Pennsylvania. He raised his last two children in Longwood, Florida where he retired.  Richard will be remembered for his sense of humor (especially his jokes), his wit and his charm.  Richard was an avid outdoorsman.  He loved hunting, fishing, and spending time outdoors with his multiple grandchildren in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

The family would like to sincerely thank River Garden Hebrew Home for their excellent care of Richard the last three years of his life.  He was fondly known as the “Mayor of Memory Care” and was loved by all of those who cared for him.  Richard enjoyed singing (especially Nat King Cole), walking, rooting for the Seminoles, playing scrabble and enjoying ice cream with his wife Karen until his final days.

As per Richard’s wishes, there will be no formal services held.  Instead, two memorial receptions will be held in his honor. The first will be held on June 19 from 2-5 P.M. in Fleming Island, Florida; another will be held at a later date in the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania where he has asked for some of his ashes to be made into a bullet and fired from a gun into the woods.  Richard wanted to go out with a BANG!

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked for donations to River Garden Hebrew Home 11401 Old St Augustine Road Jacksonville, Florida 32258 for their compassion and exceptional care of Richard at: https://www.rivergarden.org/river-garden-foundation/donate/