HENRY W. NELSON

Henry Walter Nelson passed away peacefully in hospice care at Windsor Park Manor in Carol Stream, IL on October 8, 2018.  He was 92 years old.

Henry was born on July 9, 1926 to a Norwegian immigrant family in Brooklyn, NY:  Laura Losnedahl and Torolf "Ted" Nelson (originally Nilsen) and older sisters Gerd and Evelyn.  He remained intensely proud of his Norwegian heritage to the end of his life.  The son of a sailor, he left Brooklyn Tech High School at age 17 to join the US Navy and served three years on the USS Providence-CL82 in the Mediterranean during WWII.  At the time of joining, he was the youngest crew member on his ship.

After the war, Henry completed his education, earning a B.A. in Psychology from Taylor University (IN) in 1951, an M.A. in Education, Guidance and Counseling from Boston University in 1959 and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University in 1965.  At Taylor, he met the love of his life, Mildred Lou Holmes, and they were married in 1952.

With his technical background, Henry initially worked as an engineer for Otis Elevator in New York and Westinghouse Electric in Boston.  He gradually discerned his life vocation in counseling and education, however, so he left engineering for a less lucrative but more fulfilling career in higher education at a range of institutions:  SUNY Brockport (NY), Suffolk County Community College (NY), Taylor University (IN), U.S. Office of Education in Chicago, Trinity College (IL) and Wheaton College (IL).  He joined Wheaton in 1969, first as Dean of Students and from 1971 as Vice President for Student Development.  He retired from Wheaton in 1991 after twenty-two years, having served three presidents and many thousands of students.  Generations of Wheaton students still remember his kind heart, wise counsel and warm sense of humor.

Henry and Mildred were long-time residents of Glen Ellyn, IL and raised five children there.  They were also committed, faithful Christians and members of the Wheaton Evangelical Free Church, where for many years Mildred was a deaconess and Henry was a Sunday school teacher and chairman of the board of elders.  After retirement they moved to Wheaton, IL, and after Mildred died in 1996, Henry moved to the Windsor Park Manor Retirement Community in Carol Stream.  Mildred's premature death was a terrible blow to Henry, but at Windsor Park he found comfort in many old friendships from church and college days, and in the many new friendships he made there.  Friendship came readily to Henry; he was a naturally gregarious person, always ready with a wisecrack or funny story (usually at his own expense, and preferably over a cup of coffee and a slice of almond coffee cake).

He is survived by five children:  Erik (Cheri) Nelson of Indianapolis, IN, Mark (Pauline) Nelson of Santa Barbara, CA, Joel (Susan) Nelson of Kannapolis, NC, Torre (Lisa) Nelson of Bratislava, Slovakia, and Andrea (Michael) LeRoy of Grand Rapids, MI; nineteen grandchildren:  Luke, Micah, Samantha, Eleanor, Isabel, Lydia, Caleb, Melanie, Jacob, Samuel, Anders, Lars, Soren, Ingrid, Olen, Stefan, Dana, Hannah and Astrid; and three great-grandchildren:  Soren, Coraline and Tamsin.

He is predeceased by parents, Ted and Laura Nelson, wife, Mildred Lou Holmes Nelson, sisters Gerd Tanis and Evelyn Isken, and granddaughter, Emille Nelson.

A memorial celebration of Henry's life will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 at the Compass Church, 520 E. Roosevelt Road Wheaton, IL.   Interment will be private, but an open visitation for friends and family will follow the memorial celebration.  In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Henry may be made to the Benevolence fund at Windsor Park Manor.  Condolences and tributes may be shared with the family at:  at hultgrenfh.com.  Arrangements are in the care of Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St. Wheaton, IL.