Russell Nelson

Russell Nelson was born December 7, 1921 in Dallas, Iowa to Swan and Maria Olsen Nelson. Russell passed away February 2, 2007 at the age of 85 at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at 11:00 AM at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Melcher-Dallas with burial in the Sacred Heart Cemetery. Family will receive friends at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Melcher-Dallas from 6:00 to 8:00 PM on Monday. In Lieu of Flowers Memorials may be given to the M-D Rescue Unit, the M-D Museum, or the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Russell was a WWII Veteran serving from 1942 to 1946 in the Air Force and was part of the crew of the B-24. He was married to Dorothy Griffin on April 20, 1945. they were blessed with 4 children: Dennis, Cindy, Jeffrey, and Suella. He worked for John Deere, owned the Melcher Hardware Store for 5 years, and then worked for Bridgestone Firestone until retiring in 1982 with a gift of a theft proof lunch box given to him by his co-workers who stole the good treats his family would send with him for lunch. He was active in his community serving on the Dallas City Council for many years, the Dallas School Board and worked hard to consolidate the Melcher and Dallas Schools, the County School Board, ran the clock for 40 years at the football and basketball games, helped to improve the baseball, softball, and little league fields, was a member of the Dallas Fire Department, and served on the county tax board for several years. He was very committed to his family and always enjoyed playing the 'Scary Bear' at the end of the laundry chute. He loved the Chicago Cubs and the Hawkeyes, and enjoyed fishing, but he put everything back because he didn't like to clean or eat them. Russell was preceded in death by siblings: Paul Nelson, Everett Nelson, Rolland Nelson, Ethel Logli, and Ruth Pope. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; children: Dennis Nelson of Melcher, Cindy Smith of Melcher, Jeffrey & Linda Nelson of Neola, IA, and Suella & Tom Thornton of Urbandale; 7 grandchildren; 9 great grandchildren; sisters: Esther Hansaker and Virginia Karpan; and a brother Robert Nelson.