Leigh Evans Nelson was born August 10, 1928, to Clarence and Victoria Nelson in Welch, Minnesota, and died of natural causes June 10, 2023, in his sleep at home.
The middle of three boys, Leigh grew up in Welch, Minnesota where he attended a one-room schoolhouse with his brothers, cousins and neighbors and then attended Red Wing High School. Following his first year of college at St. Olaf in Northfield, Minnesota, he transferred to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis where he graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. He met Mary Ellen Grinder of Minneapolis on a blind date, and subsequent dates sometimes involved volunteering at Billy Graham Crusades in Minneapolis. The young married couple moved to Vallejo, California where he worked for Shell Oil Corporation, and promotions transferred the growing family to other locations in California, Montreal, Canada, and Pasadena, Texas.
On one of the Nelson’s yearly visits to Minnesota, Leigh received a job offer from 3M Corporation, and his older brother Clemens invited him to partner in the development of a ski area in the Cannon River Valley. Leigh, Mary and their four children moved to Hastings, Minnesota, in 1962 where in addition to his new career at 3M and building Welch Village Ski Area, Leigh served on the Hastings City Council, church council, and taught bible classes at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. Their home hosted Young Life meetings, as well as international guests and dozens of foreign exchange students over many years most notably Klaus Stoehr from Germany who lived with the Nelson family for more than a year.
Leigh was an avid canoeist in the northern Minnesota wilderness lakes (Boundary Waters), taking various family members and friends along on many trips. In addition to Leigh’s many travels to 3M locations throughout the world, he also led ski trips to Europe with Welch Village Ski Area staff and his children. Leigh said his most significant journey was to the Holy Land, where he was baptized in the Jordan River. Leigh professed his strong Christian faith freely, which sustained him during the illness and death of his first wife Mary. He visited and prayed for many in hospitals, on airplanes, chairlifts, and ski slopes, at 3M meetings, which continued after his retirement from 3M as Technical Director of Specialty Film Division.
In 1995, Leigh married Diane Cooper and said many times how richly he was blessed to fall in love a second time in his life. Leigh and Diane loved to travel and explored Europe several times. Leigh’s passion for the lifetime sport of skiing continued into his 90th year of life, and he shared the history of Welch Village with many on the chairlift.
Leigh was predeceased by his wife Mary, brothers Alan and Clemens Nelson, eldest daughter Paula Zotalis (James), and stepdaughter Kathryn Peterson.He is survived by his wife Diane Cooper Nelson, son Jonathan Nelson (Anodea Judith), daughter Elizabeth Pasch (Juan), daughter Martha Burrer (Bill), stepson Steve Peterson; grandchildren Anna Ahrens, Peter Zotalis, Rachel Zotalis, Nicola Viana, Skot McConnell, Lauren Loomis, Adam Loomis, Alison Loomis; step-grandchildren Nick, Bryan, and Tom Pasch; Brandon, Blythe and Blaine Burrer; Jacob and Zachary Peterson; many great-grandchildren, and so many others whose lives he touched.
Preferred memorials are to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, Mayo Clinic or Young Life.
Visitation will be 5- 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 20 at the Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel in Hastings. Celebration of Life Service will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 21 with visitation one hour prior at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 400 West 9th St . Hastings. Interment will be in the Lakeside Cemetery in Hastings.
Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel is assisting the family.
