Ralph H. Nelson's Obituary
Ralph Nelson was reunited with his beloved wife Dorothy on the morning of June 28, 2006, their 65th Anniversary. Ralph was born June 2, 1918 in Milton, Washington to Maria Johanna Andersson and William Nelson. (Viljam Nilsson Manderbacka). He was the youngest of 8 brothers and sisters. He was preceded in death by his wife Dorothy along with 4 brothers and 2 sisters. His brother Sidney survives him. He also leaves daughters Carolyn of Tacoma and Beverly of Cleveland, Ohio, as well as son Bill with wife Laurie and grandchildren Lindsay and Marshall of Houston, Texas. Ralph graduated from Fife High School in 1935 and was valedictorian of his class. He subsequently worked at a lumber mill in Tacoma and studied accounting at KnappÂ's Business College. He became a CPA in 1940 and was employed by Busch and Webb, which later became Allen, Nelson, and Turner. He retired in 1983, although kept working part-time until 1994. He was married to his wife Dorothy in 1941. Together they loved spending time with friends and family and spending summers at their home on Clear Lake. They also traveled extensively throughout the western states and loved visiting their grandchildren in Idaho. In recent years Ralph remained very active in many pursuits. He was a driver for the Cancer Society. He was active in WICS, the 1918 Club, and the Order of Runeberg. He served in the U.S. Army with the 102nd Infantry during and after WWII. He was a quiet but dedicated Christian and loved his Lord deeply. He was actively involved at Temple Baptist Church, then at Calvary Baptist and Graham Emmanuel Baptist. Numerous family and friends have expressed the highest love and regard for Ralph for his kind and gentle spirit, along with his well-known sense of humor. A great joy of his life was traveling to the Osterbothnia area of Finland and becoming acquainted with numerous relations there. He took his first of 3 trips there at the age of 82. Many relatives there consider him the link between the Finnish and American branches of the Andersson and Nilsson families. He remained very active until early May and accepted his diagnosis of metastatic cancer with his usual positive outlook and trust in the Lord. He expressed joy that he knew he would soon be united with Dorothy and many family and friends. Ralph is known by his Nelson nieces and nephews as the patriarch of the family. A Memorial Service will be held at Calvary Baptist Church, 6511 South C St., Tacoma, at 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, July 5. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor, P.O. Box 859, Aberdeen, WA 98520, or to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
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