Richard “Dick” Otto Nelson

Published 9:47 am Tuesday, September 15, 2015

EDWARDS — Richard “Dick” Otto Nelson died Sept. 10, 2015. He was 92 years old.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Margaret “Peg” Hackler Nelson; his brother, Robert Nelson; his daughter, Linda Nelson; and his parents Otto Bernhardt Nelson and Nora Fleming Nelson.

He is missed by his children, Donna Nelson Jestel (Roger), Rick Nelson (Jo), Steven Nelson (Rhonda); and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Richard was born in Medford, Massachusetts, on Oct. 14, 1922. The family moved from Brookline to South Natick, Massachusetts in 1929. He graduated from Natick High School and then Northeastern University with a business administration degree.

His military career began when he attended the Naval V-5 program. He then joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and subsequently transferred to the Army Intelligence Corps, where he served for 20 years as a special agent traveling and living in the U.S., Korea, Japan, France and Laos, which included combat.

While serving in Florida he met and married Peg. She accompanied him to Japan where their two daughters were born, back to Massachusetts in 1955, where Rick was born and then to Paris in 1957, where Steven was born.

While in France, he served with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Upon his military retirement in 1964, the family settled in Severna Park, Maryland, where he had a successful career in real estate. He founded two companies specializing in commercial real estate, land development, sales and appraising.

In 1985 he sold his business and moved to Edwards for family reasons. There, he managed the 320-acre family farm, raised a few cows and experienced country life. He was invited to join the Mississippi National Guard in 1995 and served as chief of staff until 2000. He also served as a ruling elder at the Bethesda Presbyterian Church for 25 years until he was “put out to pasture.”

Visitation will be at 10 a.m. at Bethesda Presbyterian Church, Edwards, Thursday, Sept. 17, followed by a service at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Bethesda Presbyterian Church, Edwards, MS.