Richard "Dick" Jacob Nelson

It is with much sadness I announce the passing of Richard (Dick) Jacob Nelson on July 26, 2024 at the age of 80 years.

Dick was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin to parents Hazel & Eugene Nelson where he attended school through his formative years graduating from Washington Park High School before enlisting in the US Navy then working at JI Case and Twin Disc respectively. He invested his time in learning and excelling at the IBM data processing system.

He married and with two children moved to Merrill, Wisconsin to work for Weinbrenner Shoes. It wasn't long before he was offered a position at Bata Shoes Headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was then hired by Xerox Canada Inc and continued to sharpen his data processing skills becoming a specialized analyst on the 9700 printer equipment that sparked a new era in printing technology for Xerox Corp in the 1980's. 

He met the love of his life while in Canada and together they moved to California where he continued to develop his skills with Xerox Corporation as a leading analyst, and training manager.

He moved back to Wisconsin in the 90s working for Famous Footwear, eventually retiring before moving to Kansas City, MO in 2006.

Richard loved spending time with his family and friends, gathering to celebrate events and travelling through the States and Canada. He enjoyed camping and coin collecting.

Loved model building. He was very crafty. He had an affinity to troubleshoot and resolve issues and wouldn't let a problem go until he found a solution no matter how long it took. He was always curious about how things worked. Dick had a goofy sense of humor that made everyone laugh or groan. He loved watching old movies and built a significant collection of his favorites. He listened to his music of the 60s, 70s & 80s from his vinyl library. He took great interest in life and the world around him.

Dick will be missed and remembered by his beloved family; spouse (Marie Truty), son Scott, daughter Kristin Nelson (Jimmy Rogers) and his grandchildren, Phoebe, Devon, Luc and Callum, brother Todd (Barb) as well as numerous relatives and friends. He is pre-deceased by older brother Terry (Linda) and younger sister Cynthia.

The family would like to extend special thanks to the staff at Villages of Jackson Creek, Memory Care in Independence, MO and the wonderful team of Interim Hospice; everyone who cared for Mr. Nelson was a blessing, for their kindness and care and friendship.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s or Diabetes Association.