Nelson Henry Predoehl

Nelson Henry Frank Predoehl, age 92, of Sacramento, CA, passed on to his final resting place with his Lord Jesus Christ, May 12, 2023. His last six months were spent at Oakmont of Folsom, an assisted living facility he fought going to, but in the end, he learned to really like the place, the people, and even the food, and it became his home and the place in which he peacefully passed away. Nelson was born on July 16, 1930, to Theodore Carl Predoehl and Dorthea Sophia (Blesse) Predoehl in St. Louis, MO. He spent the first fourteen years of his life in the small town of Gravelton, MO, deep in the Missouri Ozarks. With no running water, indoor plumbing or electricity, Nelson experienced what it would have been like to live in the 19th century. At age fourteen, Nelson along with his parents, two brothers and two sisters moved to Egypt Mills, MO, but alas, still no indoor plumbing or electricity. He attended his first two years of high school in Cape Girardeau, MO, and then the family packed up again and moved to Redfield, SD, where he got to enjoy indoor plumbing and electricity…at age sixteen. In 1948, Nelson graduated from Redfield High School. Following high school, Nelson enlisted in the Air Force. After basic training at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX, he was assigned to Scott AFB outside of St. Louis in Illinois, where he was taught Radio Operations and became a Radio Operations Instructor. In 1949, the Radio Operations School was moved to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS, and Nelson went with it. After spending two years at Keesler enjoying the huge gulf shrimp, he was transferred to Travis AFB in Fairfield, CA. Throughout his time in the Air Force, he would fly missions of greater than 24 hours in the air as part of the early days of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). He was honorably discharged as a sergeant in 1952. It was during his time at Travis AFB that he met the love of his life, Wanda Marie Loveland, on a blind date. They were married on June 21, 1953 and enjoyed sixty years of marriage together before Wanda passed away on July 8, 2013. Nelson and Wanda had three children, Gary Nelson in 1954, Carol Marie in 1956, and Gail Yvonne in 1961. After getting married in June 1953, Nelson and Wanda headed south to Stillwater, OK, where Nelson attended one year of college at Oklahoma State University. He majored in engineering technology; however, his college days were cut short with the news that Wanda was pregnant. With very little money, college was out of the question with a baby on the way. Nelson and Wanda moved back to California where they stayed with Wanda’s parents in Carmichael until their first child, Gary, was born. In 1954, Nelson got a job with the California Department of Public Works, Division of Highways (the precursor to Caltrans). He became an expert in asphalt testing and worked 39 years for Caltrans in their Headquarters Lab. In 1957, they bought their first house in Roseville, CA, where they lived for ten years. Needing a larger home for their three children and a desire to be closer to his work location, in 1968 they moved to the College Greens neighborhood of Sacramento where Nelson lived for 55 years. In his early days in College Greens, he landscaped the entire yard and planted many small trees which eventually became a forest of very large trees. He also planted a garden every year and enjoyed working in the yard and around the house. In the early 1970’s, Nelson and Wanda discovered the joy of square dancing and RVing. They became avid square dancers and would square dance two to three nights a week. They belonged to the Suburban 8 Square Dance Club of Sacramento. They would also attend regional, state, and national square dance conventions and they usually did so in their motorhome. Nelson said that square dancing kept their marriage together and I’m sure he spoke the truth. Their lives centered around square dancing and fellowshipping with their friends. When Nelson retired in 1992 at age 62, they purchased a new motorhome, and it was their pride and joy. They loved traveling all over the country in it along with their little dog. When they got too old to square dance, they kept going on monthly RV trips with their friends. Nelson was a dyed-in-the-wool Lutheran. His father was a Lutheran minister, his grandfather was a Lutheran minister, his brother was a Lutheran minister, and his brother-in-law was a Lutheran minister. Although Nelson did not become a Lutheran minister, he never strayed from the Lutheran church. Prior to his death, Nelson had been a long-term member of Atonement Lutheran Church in the Rosemont area of Sacramento. Nelson not only attended church each Sunday, but he had a strong faith in his Lord Jesus Christ. Nelson enjoyed singing in the church choir and also sang many years in the Sacramento Valley Concert Choir (SVCC). He really enjoyed ministering in song to folks in retirement communities, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes while singing with the SVCC. Nelson was predeceased by his father, Theodore Carl Predoehl, who died November 29, 1986, his mother, Dorthea Sophia (Blesse) Predoehl, who died May 7, 1996, and his wife, Wanda Marie (Loveland) Predoehl, who died July 8, 2013. He is survived by his brother Martin Predoehl, of Olney, MD; his sister Lois (Predoehl) Ballas (Kenneth) of Parma OH; his sister Luella (Predoehl) Williams of Santa Fe, NM; his brother Theodore (Ted) Predoehl (Mary) of Green Valley, AZ; and brother-in-law Theron (Duane) Loveland of LaPine, OR. He is also survived by his son Gary Predoehl (Fran) of Granite Bay, CA; his daughter Carol (Predoehl) Freidhof of Altoona, PA; and his daughter Gail (Predoehl) Rascher of Sacramento, CA. In addition, he is survived by nine grandchildren, Steven Spotts of Altoona, PA; Yvonne Spotts of Hartsdale, NY; William Spotts of Harrisburg, PA; Daniel Predoehl (Emily Maynard) of Aliso Viejo, CA; Kimberly (Predoehl) Ripoli of University Place, WA; Timothy Rascher (Jacqueline) of Sacramento, CA; Matthew Rascher (Valerie) of San Jose, CA; and Nicole Rascher-Goff (Kyle Goff-Rascher) of Sacramento, CA. Further, he is survived by his six great grandchildren and nine nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at 10:00 am on May 25, 2023 at Mt. Vernon Memorial Park & Mortuary, 8201 Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services or Habitat for Humanity, organizations Nelson felt strongly about and to which he regularly contributed.