Dwain Nelson, 77

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Dwain D. Nelson, 77, of Waseca, went to be with Jesus his Lord and Savior on March 2, 2010.
Mass of Christian burial will be held on Friday at 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Waseca with the Rev. Marty Schaefer, celebrant. Interment will be in the Woodville Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. at McRaith Funeral Home in Waseca, and one hour prior to the services at the church.
Dwain was born to Clifford and Mildred (Reese) Nelson in rural Steele County near Hope on Sept. 27, 1932. He attended country schools and later graduated from New Richland High School in 1950. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1952-1954. He married Marilyn (Denn) Nelson on Dec. 28, 1954. The couple moved to Owatonna, where he worked for Marigold Dairy, later owned and operated Fred’s Place hamburger shop. He was trained as a chef with Kahler Hotel in Rochester and later was head chef at the old Owatonna Inn Town Motor Lodge. In the early 1960s, he moved his family to Albert Lea where he and Marilyn ran Gold’s Grill Restaurant. In 1967, he moved his family to Waseca to operate the Farmer’s Insurance Group Agency where he and his wife, Marilyn, operated for 40-years until their retirement in 2007. Dwain was also a fixture for over 50 years at the Steele County and Waseca County fairs with the famed lemonade stand. He was a big sports fan and spent many years coaching and watching his sons and later his grandchildren compete in the blue and gold colors of the Waseca Bluejays. He accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior in 1970 and the healing impact that had on his life was very evident to those who knew him. He always showed Christ-like (sacrificial) love to all he came in contact with. He will be sorely missed, but not forgotten!
He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Marilyn (Denn) Nelson; his three sons and their wives: Blain and Jody Nelson, Blair and Deanne Nelson and Blake and Robin Nelson, all of Waseca; his eight grandchildren: Lyric (Nelson) and John Butler of Elko, Brock and Karissa Nelson, Nikki (Nelson) and Chas Benson, Bayli Nelson, Tenille Nelson, Kelvin Nelson, Taylor Nelson and Shanly Nelson, all of Waseca; one great-grandchild, Madalyn Benson of Waseca; one super-caring sister, Sharon (Phil) Schwartz of Waseca; his brothers-in-law: Lewis Olson of Albert Lea, Lowell Denn, Albert Denn, Marlyn (Mary Lou) Denn and Don Kalbow, all of Waseca; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents: Clifford and Mildred (Reese) Nelson; one infant grandson, Tyler Nelson; brother, Gene (Charlotte) Nelson; sisters: Verlene (Jim) Paulson and Janet Olson; his father-in-law and mother-in-law: Aloysisus and Esther Denn; and his sisters-in-law: Helen Denn, Verniece Denn and Edna Mae Kalbow.
For online condolences, go to www.mcraithfuneralhome.com.