Harold E Nelson

Harold E. Nelson, age 71, of North Mankato died Monday, September 26, 2005 at Immanuel-St. Josephs Hospital in Mankato.

Funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m. Friday at Christ the King Lutheran Church with Pastors John Petersen and Daphne Hamborg officiating. Burial will be in Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery, rural Darfur. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Thursday at Mankato Mortuary and one hour prior to the service at church on Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to an organization of the donors choice.

Harold E. Hal Nelson was born May 16, 1934 in Rochester to Henry and Mildred (Fenske) Nelson. He graduated from Harmony High School in 1952 and excelled in music, basketball and football. After graduation, he played trumpet and tuba with the Kuhfus Bros Band out of Rochester until 1954. He entered into the US Army in 1954 and played in the 279th Army Band in France until October of 1956.

Hal attended Rochester Junior College from 1957-1959. In December of 1958, he married Rita Geppert. He graduated from Mankato State in 1961. He was the band director at St. Clair from 1961-1963, Elgin from 1963-1968, and Mound from 1968-1969. He taught Jr. High General Music in Mankato from 1969 until his retirement in 1993. In September of 1987, he married Diane Engdahl.

Hal was the leader of the Par Four and the Hal Nelson Band. He also played with the Schells Hobo Band, Blue Ox Jazz Babies and various other bands from Mankato and the Twin Cities. He was a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Survivors include his wife, Diane Nelson of North Mankato; two sons, Jeffrey Nelson and wife, Tammy of Superior, WI, Dana Leasman and wife, Edie of Mankato; daughter, Lexy Nelson of North Mankato; three grandchildren, Jessica, Abigail, and Zachary; father-in-law, Henry Engdahl of Butterfield; brother-in-law, Gordon Engdahl and wife, Lynn of Midland, MI.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Lois, mother-in-law, Marlyn Engdahl.