Nelson, Richard Clede (1936 - 2021)

NELSON, LUCAS, GAUDREAU, LARSEN, WARRIOR

Posted By: Denise Wurner (email)
Date: 3/10/2021 at 14:27:32

Name of deceased: Richard Clede Nelson

Aged: 84 yrs, 11 mo, 20 days

Residence: Carbondale, Garfield County, CO

Born: Feb. 26, 1936; Harlan, Shelby County, IA

Died: Feb. 18, 2021; Carbondale, Garfield County, CO

Funeral services: Private funeral: Saturday, March 6, 2021; Pauley Jones Funeral Home, Harlan, IA, with burial in the Harlan Cemetery, Harlan, IA; memorial services to be held at a later date in Houston, TX and Carbondale, CO.

Survived by: Wife of 60 years, Barbara Ann (nee Lucas) Nelson of Carbondale, CO; children, Lauri G. Nelson of San Francisco Bay Area, CA, Melisa B. (spouse, Ed) Gaudreau of Sacramento, CA, and R. Bradley (spouse, Lisa) Nelson of San Diego, CA; 6 grandchildren; sister, Bonna Mae Larsen of Harlan, IA; other family members and friends

Predeceased by: Parents, Mabel and Moody Nelson; siblings, Jerome Nelson, Bona Mae Nelson, Robert Nelson, and Jacqueline Warrior

Education: Attended Iowa State University, Ames, IA, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering in 1958; was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity there

Religious affiliation: no information provided

Military service: After completing Naval ROTC while in college, Dick served three years of active duty in the U. S. Navy, serving onboard the destroyer USS Hollister and attaining the rank of Lieutenant (junior grade) at age 25.

Marriage: Barbara Lucas; June 25, 1960; location not provided

Employment: After his stint in the Navy, Dick and Barbara moved to San Diego, CA, where Dick was employed as a systems analyst for Convair Aircraft. They then moved to Boston. MA where Barbara taught high school while Dick completed his M.B.A. at Harvard University in 1964. Upon graduation, Exxon hired Dick in the corporate planning department in New York City. In 1967, Exxon sent the family on to Sydney, Australia where the company was drilling offshore. With one assignment, he worked directly with the Economic Ministry of Australia to craft oil and gas development laws.

The family moved next to Singapore in 1969.

In 1975, Dick was offered a senior planning position with the Kuwait National Petroleum Company. Dick left Exxon and the family moved to Kuwait for the next 5 years. These were exciting times in the oil business in the Middle East, and Dick and his department developed several major oil and gas projects for the Kuwaiti government. However, the Nelson family left Kuwait in 1980 during the Iranian Hostage Crisis, which had made the entire region less secure for Americans.

Their next adventure was to London, England in 1980, where Dick became President of United Energy Resources (UER) International. Over 5 years while working in Europe, Dick focused on liquid gas trading and the terminal business, helping to design and build a new terminal complex in Antwerp, Brussels and improve one in Italy.

In 1986, Dick and three UER executives partnered to form PetroUnited Terminals, based in Houston, TX. For 12 years, Dick and Barb lived in Houston, bought a second home in Galveston, and became busy in their community. After operating and expanding PetroUnited Terminals, Dick and his partners sold the company to a French group and retired in 1998.

Hobbies/Interests: While living in Singapore, Dick picked up a 1948 MG TC antique car and restored the car twice during the 30 years he owned it. While living in Houston in the 1990s, Dick served on the boards of the Houston Symphony, Blaffer Art Gallery, Downtown Houston, Independent Liquid Terminals Association, and the Glendower Court Homeowners Association. After Dick and Barbara built their retirement home in Colorado, they showcased their collections of old-style bamboo fly rods and reels, art, displays of Middle Eastern coffee pots, Malaysian kris and Arabian daggers, and Persian carpets. Dick and Barbara had many friends all over the world from their extensive travels. They took bike rides through Burgundy, France and visited friends in Kuwait after it was liberated in the First Gulf War. They traveled with grandchildren in Europe; they returned regularly to Harlan for high school class reunions throughout 60 years. Dick loved fly-fishing rivers near their home in Colorado and in Northern California, Canada, Christmas Island, Cuba, Bahamas, Belize and other beautiful fishing spots.

Sources: harlanonline.com; pauleyjones.com; findagrave.com