David J. Nelson

David J. Nelson, age 81, of Grand Forks, died Friday, March 28, 2025, at the Luther Memorial Home in Mayville, North Dakota.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 4, 2025, at the Amundson Funeral Home Chapel in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m., one hour prior to the service. Memorials may be directed to Special Olympics North Dakota.

David Jerome Nelson was born April 16, 1943, to Raymond and Margrethe (Bertelson) Nelson in Underwood, Minnesota. As an only child David helped his family tend to the farm, helping raise Holstein cows and chickens. His family would eat the eggs as well as food from a garden his mother had. His mother would also can food that they would eat, and they made money by selling cream to the local creamery. They also grew apple trees, corn for silage, as well as oats and wheat.

In his early years David attended District #257, a one room schoolhouse, in the Battle Lake and Fergus Falls area and graduated from Battle Lake High School in 1961. Following graduation, David furthered his education at the University of Minnesota where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business. He later earned his Master's degree in Systems Management at the University of Southern California. One of David’s earliest memories of the Fergus Falls area is when he met former President Eisenhower. While Eisenhower had been campaigning to become president he stopped in Fergus Falls and sat in the first pew of the First Lutheran Church where David ‘s family attended. David also enjoyed spearfishing in the winter on Fisk Lake and roller skating at the local roller rink.

David enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1966, serving honorably for over 20 years. His military life took him around the world. He began his military career with basic training at the Dyess Air Force Base in Texas in 1966. He then traveled to Kincheloe Air Force Base in Michigan where he spent three years. He eventually got tired of the snow there, so when they offered him a reassignment to Vietnam, he took it. He arrived in Vietnam but then was ordered to Thailand. He spent eight days driving through the jungle to reach his station in Thailand and spoke of the gunfire he heard at night.

While stationed in Thailand he worked in the data control room, which was the only building to have air conditioning. During his stay there, a plane was shot down and crashed into their communications tower. Nine people perished, and David was charged with informing the spouses of their deaths. Following Thailand, David was also stationed in South Korea, followed by the Air Force Pilot Training Base in Mississippi where he would reassign two or three pilots a week. David also visited and was stationed in the Philippines from 1975- 1977. He was also stationed at the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, as well as March Air Force Base in California. David would move around to countless other bases before eventually retiring in 1986, at the rank of Captain, choosing to return to Grand Forks to be closer to his father, who was living in a nursing home in Fergus Falls at the time.

On October 5, 1990, David was united in marriage to Janet Balbuena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Together they raised their family in Grand Forks. Throughout his years, he continued to travel with his family. Following the Grand Forks Flood of 1997, David drove his family to Disney World. He also shared traveling to California with his wife, Janet, seeing the Medora musical with his family, and visiting Folklorama in Winnipeg a few times over the years. In the last year of his life, he took a final trip to Minneapolis where he enjoyed visiting his old Alma Mater, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Global Market, and seeing Christmas lights with his family.

David not only enjoyed traveling, but he was an avid sports fan. He spent many evenings watching various sports games with his family. He enjoyed watching basketball most, but also enjoyed watching football and baseball as well. His favorite teams were the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Vikings, and the Minnesota Twins. He also enjoyed watching the Potato Bowl Parade over the years, watching fireworks during the Fourth of July, and visiting the pumpkin patch at the Nelson Farm (unrelated) for fun with the family in the fall.

David always said his favorite meal was the meatloaf his wife made as well as any apple pie for a dessert. He also had a soft spot for animals and had many pets over the years, including cats on the farm, a sheepdog, a parakeet, and his beloved cocker spaniel Dolly. He also loved spending time with his grandchildren and had a dry but gentle sense of humor. He was known to be a bit quiet, but his warmth and kindness could be felt by all who met him, and he will be greatly missed. From all of us to you, David, thank you for your service.

David is survived by his wife of 36 years, Janet Nelson of Grand Forks; children, Cynthia (Billy) Martinez of Fargo, Brian (Carly) Nelson of Grand Forks, and Kevin Nelson of Grand Forks; grandchildren, Madyson Walters, Addylina, Penelope, and Gabriella Martinez; and many other family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Margrethe; and daughter, Ashley.