Worcester - Howard I. Nelson, 80, passed away after a long illness Monday, Oct. 17, 2011, in Knollwood Nursing Center at the Briarwood Community, surrounded by his loving family.
He leaves his wife of nearly 57 years, Meredyth L. (Knox) Nelson; two sons, Jonathan P. Nelson and his wife Melissa of Oxford and Matthew W. Nelson and his wife Lisa of Grafton, who reside in the house Howard built. He also leaves his brother, Donald R. Nelson and his wife Judith C. of Worcester; 4 grandchildren, Shawn S. Nelson, Samantha E. Nelson, Aimee E. Nelson, and Luke B. Nelson; 3 nieces; and 2 nephews.
Howard was born in Worcester in 1931 and raised in Millbury, son of Iver A. and Hulda V. (Anderson) Nelson. He was a graduate of Millbury High and WPI - Class of 1954 and member of Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. As a youth, Howard was an active auto mechanic at Jones Garage in Millbury. He was Chief Engineer at Crompton & Knowles, Product Manager at Jamesbury, and Director of Engineering at Nissan Textiles International in Charlotte, NC, retiring in 1999. He attended the Advanced Study program at the University of NC, Charlotte, and earned 3 master's degrees at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
His hobbies included gardening; carpentry; education; and extensive world travel - especially Czechoslovakia, Japan, Switzerland, and Romania. He remained active in WPI Alumni events and associations. Howard enjoyed vacationing in Falmouth on Cape Cod and running along with his sons in the Falmouth Road Race. He was a life-long member of Grace Baptist Church in Worcester and was active in Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC. In 2003, he and Meredyth returned to Worcester to be close to their family and grandchildren during their retirement.
Howard's family extends their heartfelt thanks to the staffs of Briarwood and Knollwood for their kindness and compassionate care of Howard over the years.
Calling hours will be held at Nordgren Memorial Chapel, 300 Lincoln Street, Thursday, Oct. 20, from 5-8 p.m. The funeral service will be held at the funeral home on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow in All Faiths Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 311 Arsenal St., Watertown, MA 02472.
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