Bruce A Nelson

Bruce A. Nelson, 56 died Friday Nov. 16, 2007 at his Lake Washington home. A Memorial service will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday November 26, 2007 at Mankato Mortuary with Rev. Steve Kosberg officiating. Visitation is from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. prior to the service on Monday. In lieu of flowers memorials may be given to Duck Unlimited.

Bruce was born July 8, 1951 in St. Paul, Minnesota, the son of Donald G. and Beverley (Goers) Nelson. Bruce grew up in Mankato. He graduated from Mankato High School in 1969, where he was a member of the golf team. Bruce spent his adult life working in the automotive industry, starting as a technician for Nelson Motors of Mankato, and later selling cars for Brakke - Snell. In 1979 Bruce moved to sunny Orange County California where he worked as a sales manager and a finance manager. The majority of his time was at South Bay Lexus in Torrance Ca. He spent his last seven years wholesaling cars in Orange County Ca. Bruce married Cynthia Glass in Las Vegas in 1981 and later divorced in 1996. Bruce moved back to Mankato in 2006 after the loss of his girlfriend Charlotte Carlton, to work with his brother at Mankato Honda. Bruce's passion was the outdoors, he loved to hunt, and fish, and especially looked forward to his annual Elk and Deer hunting trips out west with his hunting companion Jeff Flood. Bruce also enjoyed aviation, taking pride in owning, flying and maintaining his Cessna 180. Most of Bruce's free time in California was spent at the Corona Airport in his hanger, either working on his plane or socializing with his fellow pilots.

Bruce is survived by his brother, Gary Nelson and his wife Lee of Lake Washington; step-mother, Harriett Nelson of Sun City West, Arizona; two nephews, Matt and Charlie Nelson of Mankato; two nieces, Amy Johnson of Prior Lake and Amelia Haefner of Mankato.

Bruce was preceded in death by his mother, Beverley in 1991 and his father, Donald in 2003.