Bradley Howard Nelson, of Tacoma, Wash., passed away Oct. 28, 2015.
He was born in Chicago on Feb. 1, 1918, to Herbert and Beulah Nelson. He grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and received a degree in industrial engineering from Iowa State College. In 1941, he married Jane Agnes Hakes of Laurens, Iowa. They moved to Delavan in 1942 where he worked for Borg Fabrics and later for Beloit Corp., commuting several years until finally moving to Beloit in 1969 and retiring in 1978.
While in Delavan, he purchased several acres of undeveloped land, which he subdivided into housing lots that became the Brook Lane subdivision. He gifted the portion of the land between Brook Lane and the Mill Pond to the Town of Delavan with the agreement that the land would never be commercially developed and would always be maintained as a public park. Music and art enriched his life. He enjoyed sailing and was an active member of the Delavan Lake Yacht Club. He had many good friends and was involved in community activities. He and Jane enjoyed traveling, especially cruising.
In 1978, they moved to Port Ludlow, Wash., where he designed and built the last of their three homes. After Jane’s health declined, they moved to Bainbridge Island and later to Franke Tobey Jones, a retirement community in Tacoma, Wash., where she passed away in 2003.
In 2004, he met Ruth Daugherty who was his companion for the remainder of his life. He became involved in Franke Tobey Jones activities and received an award for outstanding volunteer of the year three years in a row. In 2015, his health began to fail, and he died peacefully at home on Oct. 28.
Brad leaves behind his companion, Ruth; his son, Murray (Bonnie) Nelson, of Fox Island, Wash.; his daughter, Nona (Rick) McCown, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Jane; his brother, Murray B. Nelson; his sister-in-law; and his parents. A celebration of life service will take place in Tacoma, Wash., at a later date.
