Darrel George Nelson was born on July 5, 1932, on the front porch of his parents' home in Deer Park, Wisconsin.

He said that his mother's sister, Aunt Grace, helped deliver him. Shortly after he graduated from Luck High School, he met Betty Lou at a homecoming dance in Milltown. He brought her home that night after the dance and called her the next day to see if she would go to a movie with him. Within a year they were married, on August 22, 1953.  Darrel had enlisted in the Army in 1952. After serving in Korea, he was discharged in 1954 and came home to his beautiful wife and 6-month-old daughter, Sue. David came along in 1956 and Carol in 1960. Having lived in Grantsburg, Minneapolis and even Kansas City, Missouri, they moved back to Minnesota and finally settled in Amery. Darrel was a great salesman, working in sales most of life, even selling Duncan Yo-Yo's at one time. One of his most enjoyed activities was golf. They also enjoyed pontoon rides on Balsam Lake, where they had a place at Sunnyside Marina. He always said what a beautiful lake that is. Besides the love for his family, Darrel had a great love for his dogs.

Darrel died peacefully in his home surrounded by his family and loved ones on Monday, October 28, 2019. He is preceded in death by his father, Arthur Nelson, and mother, Veona Utphall. He is survived by his wife, Betty Lou; his brother, Duane Nelson (Corrine); his daughter, Sue Vukelich (Bruce); son, David Nelson (Rosemary); daughter, Carol DeMars (Mark); grandchildren, Kathyrn Lundahl (Brent), Jenny Seltz (Noah), Allison Schwartz (Branden), Charlie DeMars (Jennifer), Stephanie Thrun (Perry), and Kimberly Elfelt (Ben); and great-grandchildren, Nolan, Evelyn, Nicholas, Teagan, Cole, Audra, Lily, Levi, Lauren, Harvey, Chip, Eleanor, Jack and Henry; also many nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 11 AM from First Lutheran Church in Amery. There will be visitation at the church for the hour prior to the service. Interment will take place at a later date at the Lakeview Cemetery in Siren, Wisconsin.

Last Update: Oct 30, 2019 7:26 am CDT