Gerald Neil Nelson, 88, of Erskine, Minnesota passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Gerald "Jerry" Neil Nelson was born on January 3, 1938, in Crookston, Minnesota to Melvin and Thelma (Larson) Nelson. Jerry delivered the Crookston Times all over Sampson Addition as a boy and even won awards for his stellar performance. He would spend his summers working at the Nelson homeplace alongside uncles, Richard and Elmer. During his time at the farm, he would do chores such as milking the cows, bailing hay, and helping with the horses. Jerry really enjoyed the time he spent on the farm with family. When he turned 16, Gerald and his twin Jerome joined the National Guard and spent their summers at Camp Ripley.

Jerry graduated from Central High School in 1956 and spent that first summer working for the county building roads along with his dad by operating a Caterpillar. He joined the Air Force in 1957 and served as military police while stationed in Reno, Nevada and LomPoc, California. Jerry served four years in the Air Force, and in 1961 he returned to Crookston and began working at Red Owl. For the next 20 years, he would work for Red Owl in Crookston and Grand Forks until the business closed in 1981. He worked for the City of Crookston for a year and a half before beginning work at Central High School in 1983. Jerry would spend the next 20 years working for the high school until his retirement in 2003. On May 22, 1965, Jerry married the love of his life, Carolyn Joy Finseth, at Vernes Lutheran Church of rural McIntosh, Minnesota. From this union, the couple would welcome a son, Steven, and a daughter, Pamela.

During retirement, Jerry kept busy by working for R&L Ride Service. This allowed him to continue serving the people of Crookston by giving patients rides to clinics and hospitals. Being able to visit with people gave Jerry lots of enjoyment.

Jerry was a life long avid fan of both the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He passed this passion on to his children and grandchildren. Jerry's sense of humor was known by his family and friends. He had a special relationship with his grandchildren and had a fondness for kids of all ages,

Jerry is survived by his wife of 60 years, Carolyn Nelson; children, Steven Nelson, and Pamela Rossell (Brett); grandchildren, Jennifer Manias (Robert), Brock Rossell, Andrew Nelson; great-grandchildren, Rachel Manias, Makenzie Manias; siblings, Jerome Nelson (Cathy), Richard Nelson; sister-in-law, Becky Elseth, and his dog Maddie.

Jerry is preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Thelma Nelson; in-laws, Lourie and Anola Finseth; sister, JoAnn Hennum and brother-in-law, Merle Hennum; brother, Allen Nelson; nephews, David Nelson and Cody Hennum.

Jerry's family will celebrate his life with a funeral service on Monday March 2, 2026, at Harvest Church in Crookston beginning at 11:00 am. Visitation will begin at 10:00am. A committal service will be held at Vernes Cemetery, rural McIntosh, MN.