Richard P. Nelson, 96, of Cloquet passed away July 8, 2022, at Sunnyside Health Care Center. Richard was born Oct. 23, 1925, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Marie and Peter Nelson. He grew up in Austin, Minnesota. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Navy, as a radio operator in the Pacific Islands during World War II. Following his discharge, he attended Gustavus Adolphus College, graduating with a degree in education. He retired from teaching at Cloquet Middle School. He was a lover of the outdoors and was passionate about kayaking, skiing, tennis, bike riding, swimming and sailing. His favorite vacation spot with Linda was Hawaii! He was a longtime member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, where he taught Sunday school.

He is survived by Linda Bush, the love of his life for 22 years, and her children and grandchildren; son Rick (Wanda) Nelson and daughter Sandy (Max) Bazil; grandsons Brad (Anouschka) and Cory (Renee); sister-in-law Mary Nelson; great-grandchildren and very special nieces and nephews; and his family friend Shirley Abbott. He was preceded in death by his parents, daughter Sue, and brothers Bob (Delores) and David Nelson.

Visitation: 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. celebration of life service at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Wednesday, July 20. Lunch will be served immediately following the service. Burial at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Duluth will follow the luncheon at approximately 3 p.m.

Richard was a wonderful, kind human being, always thanking our service men in uniform. He had a contagious laugh and he will be missed! Many thanks to Sunnyside Health Care Center for the excellent and loving care they gave him over the past two years.