Robert Leslie Nilsen

Robert Leslie Nilsen died peacefully at Madonna Gardens in Salinas, California on September
2, 2024. He was born in Salinas on December 9, 1930 to Jack and Marie Nilsen. His parents
had immigrated from Norway and Denmark, so Bob was a first generation American who went
to kindergarten at Lincoln School speaking only Danish. He, along with his father, Jack, and
son, Jeff, have owned and operated Bokay Nursery for the past 70 years.
Bob graduated from Salinas High School in 1948. While attending Grand View College in Des
Moines, Iowa, he met Karma Jorgensen and they dated for a year. Bob came back to California
and served in the Coast Guard for 3 years. After a year at Cal Poly Pomona, he came home to
work in the new family business, Bokay Nursery, for the summer. Much to his surprise, Karma
called his aunt, who she had once met. She was on a road trip from Minnesota with her
girlfriends and she stopped in Salinas en route to San Francisco on a dare. The next morning,
Bob took the ladies to breakfast in Salinas, then met them in San Francisco after work and
showed them the city. He came back the next night and proposed to Karma. They were married
in Des Moines, Iowa that September and they would have celebrated their 69th anniversary on
September 3rd this year.
The newlyweds returned to Pomona so Bob could finish his ornamental horticulture degree and
help his father run Bokay Nursery. Back in Salinas, they were blessed with a son, Jeffery, that
first summer. David was born just 16 months later, and finally a girl for Karma was born,
Jeannie. Bob and Karma raised their family in Salinas and gave them many fun and interesting
summer experiences from camping to fishing to water skiing. The kids grew up helping at the
Nursery. Whether tagging along with their father out on landscaping jobs, or helping their
grandfather and customers at the store, the experiences cultivated many fond memories, a
strong work ethic, and a storehouse of practical knowledge. Both Jeff and David worked
together at Bokay for many years, and the legacy lives on with Jeff at the helm.
Bob never really retired, he just stepped into the background of Bokay, and began to travel
more with Karma all over the world. They took long road trips to visit family and friends in the
Midwest, southwest, northwest, and Canada. Bob and Karma enjoyed many memorable cruises
and even treated their entire entourage of children, grandchildren, and first great granddaughter
to join them on an unforgettable Mediterranean tour. No one enjoyed a good meal and a glass
of Zinfandel more than Bob. He and Karma made friends at local restaurants they frequented
together on Sunday afternoons. Some of his favorite times were the family gatherings at their
house for holidays where Karma fixed a delicious feast, and he could have a glass of good red
wine and as much whip cream as he'd like on his dessert.
Bob is survived by Karma, his 3 children: Jeffrey (Grace) Nilsen, David Nilsen, and Jeannie
(Alan) Green; his 8 grandchildren: Renee Paluck (Louis), Ian Nilsen (Avery), Tyler Nilsen, Philip
Nilsen, Clara Nilsen, Lana Nilsen Cruz (Juan), Lise Green Reveus (Erick), and Hannah Green;
and 5 great granddaughters: Harper, Hadley, Parker, Jordan and Sophie. He will be lovingly
remembered by all of us as a wonderful husband, a loving father, and a kind and gentle
Bedstefar with few words and a whimsical smile.
A memorial service will be held at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd at 580 Larkin St. in
Salinas on September 16, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be
made to Grand View University 1200 Grand View Ave. Des Moines Iowa 50316 or
https://www.grandview.edu/donate, or to the charity of your choice.