Jeffrey William Nelson

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Nelson, Jeffrey William age 67, of Niceville, FL formerly of Minnetonka, MN, completed his final "mission" on Earth when he passed away on his birthday, April 21, 2014. Preceded in death by his loving parents Virginia and Lloyd Pratt and Emery Nelson. Jeff is survived by his wife of 44 years Carole Nelson, daughter, Megan (Gary) Effertz, and son Ryan Nelson. He is also survived by his brother Tim (Norma) Pratt, sisters, Cindy (Michael) Thayer and Sue (Dave) Beckstrand and many others he considered family. Jeff was a retired Army Colonel who was drafted into the Vietnam war and recently inducted into the Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame for his accomplishments. He served from 1967 - 1999 with a total of 60 months of combat including time in Vietnam, El Salvador and Bosnia, as well as in support roles for both Gulf Wars. After retiring from the Army Jeff stayed active with the military as a consultant specializing in psychological operations and civil affairs. When not serving his country, Jeff was an avid reader, loved history and most of all watching movies. Jeff was a loving husband, a great dad, and a loyal friend who always had a story to tell, a smile to share or helping hand to lend. He treated his children's friends like they were his own, made friends everywhere he went and genuinely made people feel good about themselves. Jeff had a strong set of values that he held others to and a deep sense of integrity that couldn't be waived. He touched and influenced many lives around the world from the poor and impoverished to the leaders of countries in almost every continent. He was a champion of education, learning and communicating to help people understand diverse perspectives and bring the world closer together. An Irish Wake will be held to remember and celebrate Jeff on July 20 at Cooper Irish Pub from 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. 1607 Park Place Blvd, St. Louis Park, MN 55416. Memorials preferred to The Wounded Warrior Project.

Published on July 13, 2014