Richard Evan Nelson passed away peacefully at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital on January 1, 2026. A long-time resident of Elmhurst, Richard (Dick) was born in Berwyn, IL on October 22, 1938, to the late Evan Nelson and the late Hazel Nelson. He was the beloved Husband of 55 years to the late Jean Nelson. Loving father of Matthew and Christopher Nelson, cherished grandfather of Melinda Haga (husband Nikolas Haga) and Ryan Nelson (fiancé Haley Smyser), and proud great grandfather of 5. Dearest brother of Donald Nelson (wife Phyllis), and sister-in-law Nicola Nelson-Logan.
Dick and Jean met in Washington D.C. where he was in the Navy as a Lieutenant stationed at the Naval Yards, then moved back to Illinois where he was an electrical Engineer for Illinois Bell Telephone Company until his retirement.
A visitation will be held on Friday, January 9, 2026, from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service which begins at 11:00 a.m. at Elmhurst Community Funeral Home – THE AHLGRIM CHAPEL, 567 South Spring Road, Elmhurst. Interment will be determined at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Endeavor Health Elmhurst Hospital, https://www.endeavorhealth.org/locations/elmhurst-hospital or to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, https://t2t.org/.