Samuel J. Nelson Jr. (1918-2016)

NELSON, KOMPASS, SNYDER, IVERSON

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 8/7/2016 at 11:38:07

Obituary from Detroit Free Press published July 14, 2016.

NELSON, SAMUEL J. JR. Was born on December 12, 1918 in Roland, Iowa and died on July 5, 2016 at Homewood Retirement Community in Williamsport, Maryland.
He attended McCallsburg, Iowa schools through his sophomore year and graduated from Roland, Iowa Consolidated High School in 1936. He graduated from Iowa State College in 1941 with a degree in Chemical Technology. Samuel J. Nelson also earned a master's degree from Brooklyn Polytechnical, now part of NYU and a PhD in chemistry from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. While pursuing his advanced education he was employed by U.S. Rubber, now Uni Royal. His work included a joint collaboration with other American Rubber Companies developing a successful synthetic rubber program during World War II. When the war concluded, he continued to work for Uni Royal until his retirement in 1990. Samuel became a consultant in other countries, such as Turkey and Columbia, interested in rubber manufacturing techniques. One of his clients was the Chinese Government which was interested in producing large industrial size tires. He retired from consulting in 2000.

Samuel was married to June Kompass in 1958. There were no children from the marriage. After he became a widower, he married Evelyn Snyder who died in 2005. Most of his adult life he lived in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, but when his health deteriorated, Sam moved to the retirement community in Williamsport, Maryland so as to be near his family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Katherine and Samuel J. Nelson, Sr.; a brother, Daniel Nelson; and a sister, Josephine Iverson.

Left to mourn Sam are his brother, David Nelson of Mesa, Arizona; his brother, William Nelson (Sherlee) of Falling Waters, West Virginia; three step daughters from his second marriage; many nieces and nephews.

There will be service of remembrance at the Congregational Church on July 27, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. where he was a member for many years. He will be interred next to his first wife, June Nelson.