Memorial services will be held 10:00 a.m., Saturday, December 11, 2021, at Chamberlain McColley's Funeral Home in Custer, SD.

Our dad, Robert William Nelson, (Bob) cruised the hallways of the nursing home one last time, just after midnight October 31 ^st , 2021, teasing the nurses, as usual, then laid down and went to sleep for the last time. While we regret not getting to say goodbye, we know this passing was a blessing for a man who would rather be walking in the woods, than roaming the hallways.

Dad was born in Hill City, SD, March 22, 1932, to William D. Nelson and Mabel Tracy Nelson in a cabin that now serves as landmark in Tracy Park. He lived with his parents in Scenic, SD, and is seen in a roadside sign riding a haybale down a chute from a Badlands Butte.  He had four siblings, Cathy Hoffman, Mary Smith, Allan Nelson, all living in Sioux Falls, SD, and Skip Nelson of Osage, WY. Raised mostly by his grandparents in Hill City, Dad was more at home in the hills than in the classroom, and because of that, he didn't learn to read or write until he was 65 years old. The funny thing is, his kids didn't know he was illiterate as he always bought the latest encyclopedias for us and read the paper every night.  He wanted us to study, to work hard, to excel and was proud of each of his children and their accomplishments.

Karen Grosz lives with her husband, Paul, in Billings, Mt, Willie Nelson and his wife Lynda live in Newcastle, Mike Nelson and his wife Tami live in Goodyear, Az, Allan Nelson (Deceased), Debbie Ivey lives with her husband Erv Ivey in Phoenix.  Bob's grandchildren are Liz Enslow, Billings, Mt, Trisha Nelson, Rapid City, SD, Danica Ward, Verado, Az, Derek Nelson, Newcastle, WY, RJ Hunt, Phoenix, Zachary Hunt, Phoenix.  Ezra Enslow is his only great grandchild to date.

Dad worked alongside his grandpa Bill Tracy, and several beloved uncles, as a logger, from about 7 years old, and loved to tell about the first time he had Everclear, as a prank by his uncle Ben, at 10 years old. He never drank it again, but he did enjoy many a beer, sitting beside his friends on the streets and in the casinos of Custer.  As a young man he loved to sing, and as a parent he regaled us on every road trip with Mairzy Doats, if you don't know the song, we can sing it for you.

Custer Lumber was Dad's employer for many years, and is often the case in small towns, most of his friends worked there as well, and their fortunes rose and fell with the mill.  In the 90s, when Dad moved to Alaska with his daughter Karen, he worked delivering flyers, walking 18-20 miles a day 3 times a week and volunteered at the Senior Center dining room.  Walking was a constant for Dad. He often showed us the 6-mile route he walked from the home farm on Mystic Road into Hill City to watch a ten-cent movie.  In his later years, Dad was often called "Walking Bob" as he walked to Pringle from Custer on a regular basis, and all-around Custer, daily.  In Alaska he developed a penchant for bikes and electric scooters, and buzzed around the city, often with a cat on his shoulder.

The measure of a man's life is hard to tell.  Is it wealth?  Is it friends?  Is it experiences?  Is it health?  Dad was a proud man, who would give any person, known or unknown, his last dime, or his most treasured possession, if they only asked.  He was certain that taking pills is what made old people sick, and so fought any and every medication, and was proud of his strength and vitality.  When roaming the woods was no longer a choice and fishing the rivers of Alaska a distant memory, Dad helped to lead the daily exercise at the nursing home and spent hours coloring or doing puzzles.  We would say his was a life well lived, and that, in the end, the struggles of parent and child don't matter as much as they once did.  He was a man we were proud to love and a dad we will always miss.

Condolences may be sent to Willie Nelson, 10 Dick Road, Newcastle, WY 82701.  Information about the memorial service, December 11 ^th , 2021, is available from Karen, 406-690-5999