Posted by Terry Powers on December 10, 2022:

Obituary Robert C Nelson, age 93, Colonel, US Army, Retired, of Rhinelander, WI, died on April 11, 2018, at the Rennes Health and Rehab. Colonel Nelson was born on February 9th, 1925, in Rhinelander, WI, the son of Oscar and Gladys Nelson. He was a graduate of Rhinelander High School. As a teenager, he played the clarinet and achieved 1st chair in the Rhinelander High School Band and the Rhinelander City Band. He attended the University of Wisconsin; was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY; received a Master's Degree in Structural Dynamics from the University Illinois; and received a Master's Degree in International Relations from George Washington University, Washington, DC. He was also a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KA; and the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL. While at the University of Wisconsin, he became a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honorary Fraternity and at West Point became a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Fraternity. While at West Point, he met and later married his beloved wife, the late Faye Abernethy Nelson. Colonel Nelson loved competitive athletics and was a member of his high school football and basketball teams. He also played varsity basketball at both the University of Wisconsin and at West Point. He was particularly proud at having played a short time against Hall of Famers: George Mikan, of DePaul University and the Minneapolis Lakers; and Paul Arizin, of Villanova University and the Philadelphia Sixers; and having teammates at West Point such as Sullivan Award winner, Arnold Tucker, and All American quarterback, Arnold Galiffa While stationed in Korea in the 1950s he entered and won the tennis championship of l-Corps. He was a one year veteran of the Navy and a 25 year veteran of the Army, and served the country during World War II, the Korean War, and the Viet Nam War. He was awarded three Legion of Merit Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, and the Parachutist's Badge. He commanded Company B, 54 Engineer Combat Battalion, in Germany; and the 249th Engineer Construction Battalion in France; and served as a Special Weapons Staff Officer in the Pentagon and in Headquarters, NATO Central Army Group. As a special weapons staff officer, he accomplished planning and studies that were briefed to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While in Viet Nam, he was in charge of planning short range military operations in General Westmoreland's Combat Operations Center. He ended his military career by serving as the District Engineer, Charleston District, US Army Corps of Engineers, where he participated in the planning and engineering of the Cooper River Re-Diversion Project, improvements to Charleston Harbor and other navigation projects. Following his retirement from the Army, Colonel Nelson worked as a Vice President for Palmer and Baker Engineers, and later as a Senior Engineer for the Architectural and Engineering firm, Wilbur Smith and Associates. While with Wilbur Smith, he was a planner and design coordinator for the South Carolina State Ports Authority's Wando River Container Terminal Construction Project. He was a past president of the Charleston Chapter of the Society of American Military Engineers; a member of the Charleston, SC, Civil Engineers Club; a member of the Charleston SC, Rotary Club; and a member of the Snee Farm Country Club, the Rhinelander Tennis Club, and the Rhinelander Country Club. Bob is survived by his son, Professor David (Patricia) Nelson of Harvard University; a daughter Leslie (Scott) Jarrow; five grandchildren and a great granddaughter. He was preceded in death by his wife Faye on May 14, 2010. In lieu of flowers and other memorials, the family requests that contributions be made in the name of Robert C Nelson to the Rhinelander District . A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 4, 2018, at 11:00 am, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ. SOURCE: Carlson Funeral Service Rhinelander, WI

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