Robert Oscar Nelson

Robert "Bob" Oscar Nelson, 81, of Delavan, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 17, 2024 after a short illness. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was raised on a dairy farm in Elkhorn, Wisconsin with his older brother Len, and his parents Oscar and Sarah Nelson. His parents emigrated from Sweden and Dad was always very proud of his heritage and being 100% Swedish! He would often tease his wife Rose, Theresa and Tom that they were “Heinz 57” people! He was able to fulfill a lifelong dream to visit Sweden in 1996 with his son Bobby and stepson Tom. Bob, a proud Air force veteran, served from 1964-1967, including a year in Vietnam. He graduated from UW Madison with a degree in economics and went on to have a successful career at Rheem, where he worked for over 25 years, eventually becoming the Director of Labor Relations within the head corporate office in Manhattan, New York. He travelled all across the USA and to a plant they had in Mexico to negotiate the union contracts. In his free time, Bob enjoyed watching Badger basketball and football, as well as rooting for the Bears and Cubs. He was known for his love of politics, reading a good nonfiction, the dogs Cindy, Duckey, Sam, Ozzie, Buddy, Hershey, Millie, some cats throughout, gardening, woodworking in which he shared his talent with family and friends. After retirement in 1997, Dad and Rose started making plans to live out their retirement in Wisconsin. It was always Bob’s goal to move back to Wisconsin, build a farmhouse with some land and on some kind of water, all of which they were able to do. After moving to Lake Lorraine Rd, Bob became very involved with the Lions Club in Whitewater. He never missed an opportunity to volunteer for whatever he could help with, including recruiting his family and mom’s friend Alice to also volunteer! Bob will be remembered by his surviving son, Robert Oscar Charles Nelson, stepdaughter Theresa Brummel, and many other friends and the many Lion Club friendships he made in the over twenty years he was here. He was predeceased by his parents Oscar Nelson and Sarah, stepson Tom, sister-in-law Candy, his wife Rosemary and his brother Len. A service will be held at the Nitardy Funeral Home in Whitewater on Monday, May 20, 2024. Visitation will be from 10 AM-12 PM, with the service following at 12 PM. Burial will follow in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Sugar Creek at around 1:30 PM, followed by a lunch at 841 Brew House in Whitewater. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Lions Club in Whitewater, where Bob was a dedicated member for over 20 years, always willing to lend a helping hand. Nitardy Funeral Home in Whitewater, Wisconsin, is assisting with the arrangements.