Paul K. Nielsen

1918 - 2017

Paul K. Nielsen 4/21/1918 - 4/15/2017 Paul K. Nielsen passed away peacefully after months of hospice and private care, from heart and kidney failure along with Dementia, on April 15, 2017 at the age of 98, in his assisted living apartment at Ponte Palmero Retirement Village, in Cameron Park, El Dorado County, CA, where he resided since September 2013. Prior to that time Paul was residing in his long time family residence in Greenbrae since 1962. Paul, and wife Nonna, lived in San Francisco for the first ten years. He was born on April 21, 1918 in Aarhus, Denmark where he had his final education in engineering school at Aarhus University. During WWII he was in the Danish Merchant Marines, sailing to various ports and was detained awhile in Shanghai, China where he met his wife Nonna. They later married in 1948 in Denmark and after a few years living there, they immigrated to the USA in 1951, first sailing in to New York then making their way to San Francisco. Paul Nielsen, at the beginning worked for Southern Pacific Transportation and taught engineering classes at Heald College in San Francisco. After a few years he landed a job as an electrical engineer at PG&E where he worked for 31 years. He and his wife become naturalized citizens in 1956. Paul was involved with the Danish Soldiers Club, in Petaluma, Danish festivities at Aldersly Retirement Home in San Rafael, where he enjoyed playing the piano for their social functions, enjoyed playing dominoes, and having lunch with other close PG&E retirees for many years. He loved walking, stamp collecting, gardening, reading, listening to classical music/operas, and especially enjoyed playing piano with his granddaughters singing along at home. His wife Nonna preceded him in death on May 27, 2010. Paul is survived by his only daughter, Karin Nielsen Assenza (husband Tony) of El Dorado, and two granddaughters; Cristina Robinson (husband Joshua) in Cameron Park, and her younger sister, Danielle Assenza in Folsom. A private celebration of life was held for Paul in Cameron Park at Ponte Palmero clubhouse in April. In May there was a final private scattering of ashes for both Paul and his wife Nonna together off Elephant Rock Pier, in Tiburon, CA. DONATIONS MAY BE MADE TO SNOWLINE HOSPICE, 6620 Pleasant Valley Road, Diamond Springs, CA 95619 in MEMORY of PAUL K. NIELSEN.