Douglas Eugene Nelson

Douglas E. Nelson, age 81, of Litchfield died on Saturday, August 4, 2012 at the Meeker Memorial Hospital in Litchfield. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, August 8, 2012, at the First Lutheran Church in Litchfield. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM at the Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the Lake Ripley Cemetery in Litchfield. Douglas Eugene Nelson, 81, was born in Harvey Township on August 1, 1931 to Harry and Irene (Borchardt) Nelson. He was born at the family farm and baptized in Litchfield. He was confirmed June 15, 1947 at First Lutheran Church in Litchfield. He attended a one-room schoolhouse near his home and was paid five cents a week to keep the stove warm in the winter. This work ethic served Doug well throughout his life. On September 4, 1953, Doug married Donna Ruth Fredrickson after obtaining a position with Oster & Pederson in Grove City, Minnesota, a highway and bridge building construction firm. Over more than two decades Doug worked his way up in the company and became a superintendent on several bridge projects, most notably construction of the Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis. In 1976 until his semi-retirement in 1994, Doug worked as a superintendent and later vice president of Robert R. Schroeder Construction of Glenwood, Minnesota. His career afforded him the purchase of a home in Litchfield in 1961 where he and Donna raised four children: Kelvin, Heidi, Tim and Andy. Doug had a few hobbies, including fishing and looking for goodcar deals. He owned more than 100 cars in his life, enjoying the deal making and holding each new set of car keys. He also spent several seasons in the pits at Cedar Mills Speedway and Grove Creek Raceway when his son Andy competed in go-kart racing and brother David drove stock cars. People would often find him tinkering on something in the garage.With three brothers in the construction, bridge building and trucking industries, Doug could easily talk with family in the common language of construction or mechanics. His sons Kelvin and Tim Nelson and son-in-law Greg Johnson also followed him into the business. Doug was generous with his children, grandchildren and neighbors, offering to help out or give a loan that often was forgiven early. He was preceded in death by his parents Harry and Irene, brother Ken and loving wife of 57 years, Donna. He is survived by his brothers Alvin (and Katie) Nelson of Buffalo and David (and Jeanine) Nelson of Litchfield; sister-in-law Beverly Nelson, children Kelvin (and Kathy) Nelson of Litchfield, Heidi (and Greg) Johnson of Litchfield, Tim (and Colleen) Nelson of Grove City, Andy (and Christine) Nelson of Foreston, grandchildren Dusti (and Brian) Berglund, Jesse (and Sarah) Johnson, Mike Nelson, Joe (and Erin) Nelson, Jenna (and Luke) Beckstrand, Jim Nelson, Natalie Nelson and Nicole Nelson; and great grandchildren Hunter, Paizli, Claire, Hilton and soon-to-be baby boy. Previous Events Visitation Tuesday, August 7, 2012 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home 316 Sibley Avenue South Litchfield, MN 55355 Visitation Wednesday, August 8, 2012 10:30 AM First Lutheran Church 703 South Sibley Avenue Litchfield, MN 55355