Jerome Anthony "Jerry" Nelson

Jerome "Jerry" Anthony Nelson passed away peacefully on September 25, 2025, at the age of 89, after years of health challenges.
Born on September 11, 1936, in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, Jerry was the son of Chet and Cecelia ("Cis") Nelson. At age four, the family relocated to Crookston, Minnesota, which became Jerry's lifelong hometown.
He attended Cathedral Grade School and graduated from Cathedral High School in 1955. Jerry went on to earn a degree in Industrial Engineering from University of North Dakota, and later, in the 1970s, an MBA from the University of Santa Clara.
During his high school years, Jerry met Donna Jean Rohrer, a student at neighboring Central High. After several years of courtship, they married on August 16, 1958, and together raised three children: Jay, Lynne, and Todd.
Jerry led an exceptional engineering career marked by innovation and dedication living and working in China for the last 10 years of his career. Outside of work, he lived life to the fullest-playing hockey, racing cars, operating a commercial salmon boat, skydiving, and sailing halfway around the world.
He is survived by his sister Rae Wright , his three children, ten grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
A memorial is tentatively scheduled for May 16th, 2026 time and place to follow
The memorial will be broadcasted on YouTube for those with difficulty attending