Eugene Elden "Gene" Nelson

Eugene Elden Nelson, known by all as Gene, died peacefully at home in Grand Junction, Colorado, on March 10, 2026. He was 90 years old.

Gene was born on April 27, 1935, in Provo, Utah, to Elden and Helen Nelson. He was the second of seven children: Jim, Gene, Mary Ann, Dave, Joe, Kathy, and Robert.

His earliest memories were of Garfield, Utah-a little house where the family Willys (precursor to the Jeep) had no heater, so his father would warm bricks in the oven, wrap them in burlap, and set them on the floorboard to keep the children's feet warm on trips to Provo.

His father was a machinist at Geneva Steel and later a vocational school instructor who built the family home in Provo largely with his own hands. His mother, Helen, was a gifted pianist who accompanied singers at church gatherings, weddings, and funerals throughout the community.

Gene's love of the outdoors began with his father, who took him fishing whenever he was willing-and Gene was always willing. They trolled for cutthroat trout at Strawberry Reservoir on fall Fridays when his dad would ask if he'd mind missing a day of school. His mother would send a lunch. His father tied his own flies and painted his own lures, and Gene watched and learned.

That bond was cut short at Fish Lake in Sevier County when Gene was sixteen. His father's boat capsized, and Gene's father drowned trying to save a friend. Gene was there. It fell to him to call home from the lodge and tell his mother what had happened. Some later questioned whether his father should have saved himself for the sake of his wife and seven children. Gene saw it differently: his father had to try.

After graduating from Provo High School, Gene found his path to LDS missionary service blocked by Korean War draft restrictions. Rather than wait, he enlisted in the United States Navy in July 1953 and volunteered for submarine duty-a choice he never regretted.

He served aboard the USS Tiru out of Submarine Base Pearl Harbor, rising to the rank of Electrician's Mate First Class (EM1). He was honorably discharged in June 1957, his service having earned him the GI Bill, which he put to good use.

Following his service, Gene fulfilled a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Central Atlantic States, covering West Virginia and North Carolina. After, at Brigham Young University, Gene had no clear plan for his future until a professor suggested he try entomology. Gene tried it, loved it, and earned a master's degree in the field.

Gene went on to build a distinguished career with the Colorado State University Extension Service, specializing in pest management. His work had real, lasting impact. In the San Luis Valley, Gene identified the specific aphid species responsible for spreading potato leaf roll virus. By targeting that vector, he helped eliminate the disease from the region, which became-and remains-a major source of premium seed potatoes.

He also developed a computer-based predictive model for codling moth management that used weather monitoring and physiological time to tell apple growers precisely when to spray, drastically cutting herbicide applications while increasing effectiveness. Farmers trusted him because he gave them results.

He was patient in ways large and small. Every summer, he and his first wife and children (Kellene Mortensen, Elden Nelson, Lori Nelson, Jodi Nelson, and Christy Nelson Williams) bundled into a truck, station wagon, or Scout, driving his entire family three days each way from Colorado to North Carolina to spend weeks at the beach (sometimes with air conditioning, most times not) - a tradition his children now remember with deep fondness.

Gene was known far and wide for his fishing and bowhunting. His love of the wild started with his father and deepened over a lifetime spent in the mountains and rivers of the West.

He took up bowhunting seriously after moving to Loveland, Colorado, where his friend Jerry Woodland introduced him to the sport. Gene's friendship with Jerry Woodland, spanning sixty years, was one of the anchoring relationships of his life. Built on a shared love of the outdoors and trust, it endured across the decades.

In 1994, Gene married Janel Zeyer Hales, and they shared 31 years of life together. During those years, Gene and Janel served two missions for their church together-one in Brazil and one in Portugal-with Gene learning enough Portuguese along the way to get by, a feat he was quietly proud of.

Gene was a devoted Scout leader, famous for the adventures he designed for his troops. On at least one occasion, he carried a stepladder to the summit of a Colorado fourteener so his Scouts could claim they'd been higher on the mountain than anyone else. That was Gene-always finding a way to make something memorable.

Gene was a remarkable storyteller. He could hold a room completely still with tales of his hunts, his travels, and his misadventures, drawing his audience in, no matter how many times they had heard the story.

He was also a peacemaker-a man who never raised his voice and always looked for the resolution that worked for everyone.

Near the end of his life, Gene reflected on the losses and joys that had shaped him. He acknowledged the tragedies-losing both parents young, the hard days that followed-but insisted that life can really be good, that you don't have to live in a negative world.

Gene Nelson was a submariner, a scientist, a missionary, a hunter, a fisherman, a storyteller, a peacemaker, a Scout leader, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a man of God. He lived a big life, and he lived it well.

Zoom link

https://zoom.us/j/93839523365