Darrell Dowell Nelson

Darrell Dowell Nelson was born in Santa Ana, CA, on April 22, 1927, to John David and Lillian Dowell Nelson. He died in the evening of May 14, 2022, under the professional care of Sutter Hospice at Solstice Senior Living in Auburn. He was the second of two children; his brother Robert John Nelson was born in 1923 and preceded his entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom. Robert and Darrell lost their birth mother when they were 12 and 8, respectively, to a fatal car accident in 1935. Four years later, their father John David Nelson married Barbara Easton from Aberdeen, Scotland, via New York City.

Darrell and his brother were active at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana.

He attended Santa Ana High School and then served in the US Navy near the end of WW II. Returning to civilian life he attended Santa Ana Junior College. In both schools he excelled in football, track and vocal music. He continued his education at the University of Redlands majoring in Business and Economics and singing in the University’s Concert Choir, musical productions and several ensembles.

Darrell married Virginia “Ginny” Ann Osborne (1927-2013) who was originally from Glencoe, Illinois, and at the age of 12, moved to Santa Ana. They were married on June 12, 1949, at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana. Their first home was in “Vet’s Village” on the campus of the University of Redlands where he graduated in the spring of 1950. Shortly after graduation he became a salesperson for nearly 40 years with Procter and Gamble-in the Bar Soap and Household Division. Darrell’s children and their spouses were often not prepared for their home inspections when Darrell and Ginny came for a visit. The “inspection” involved making sure only P&G products were being used throughout the house! In retirement, he worked for eight years (1992-2000) at Smythe European on Stevens Creek Blvd in Santa Clara as the Coordinator of the Customer Shuttle Service under the supervision of Service Department Senior Manager who was Brian Nelson, his son!

Darrell and Ginny brought four children into the world, Kim Lee (1951), Donald Mark (1952), Brian David (1955) and Barbara Lynn (1959). Each child has said what a blessing it was to have been born into a family of love and faith. The values taught and exemplified at home by Darrell and Ginny formed the catalyst of the various careers chosen by their children. In turn, these values have been shared with 12 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. Darrell and Ginny were always present for school performances, athletic events, church youth group and choir performances and rarely missed an opportunity to affirm and congratulate each of their children in whatever endeavor they were participating.

Darrell’s long tenure at Procter and Gamble featured several specialized roles for the company. He became a senior trainer for new salespeople as well as senior regional directors. Each of his children had the opportunity “to go to work” with Dad during school vacations. There were many treats for going to work with Dad. Each of us learned how to drive safely in the traffic of The City and Peninsula and how to stop and go with a clutch on the steep streets of San Francisco. But by far the greatest treat was an afternoon visit to the Golden Gate YMCA in The City. Dad’s Y was a multi-story building dedicated to every sport imaginable. If our visit to the Y was on Saturday, we were encouraged to bring a friend along. Dad was a very highly respected Handball Champion at the Y, a sport that none of his children ever enjoyed playing since the ball was so hard and hurt our hands to hit! By spending this quality time with Dad, we learned the important skills needed by every salesperson; good communication, positive introductions, product knowledge and personal integrity. Darrell was such a role model for his children leading one of them, Barb, to actually work for P&G briefly after college.

Darrell and Ginny were an inspiration to many. They remained active in their commitment to God by serving on church boards and singing together in their church choirs. During their marriage of 63 years they belonged to Lakeside Presbyterian Church in San Francisco from 1950-1961; First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame from 1961-1965; Saratoga Federated Church 1965-1970; West Valley Presbyterian Church in Cupertino 1970-2000; Pleasant Grove Community Church in Roseville from 2000-2022.

For nearly 25 years they were foster parents for newborns through Children’s Home Society. They were introduced to this special “ministry” by their very good friends Bob and Marilyn Blincoe who also were members of First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame. Over those years they fostered 125 newborns. Darrell often said they kept the babies until they slept through the night and it seemed that the very next day the baby was either returned to the birth parent(s) or adopted. Their four natural children learned much about the care of newborns and when the time came for them to bring their own children into the world, their experience was extremely helpful.

As an example of Darrell’s commitment to the youth of the community he, along with Bob Blincoe, Sr. and Dr. Don Talbot, all of Burlingame at the time, and their eight sons, reconstituted Troop 57 housed at Lincoln Elementary School in Ray Park. The dedication of these men to nurture their children and the many youth of the area was evident in their many hours of training and camping in the great tradition of Scouting from the high Sierras to the Redwood coastal forests.

Darrell’s presence in the Roseville community was seen in his continued love of choral music in the Pleasant Grove Community Church and in the broader community. Darrell shared his wonderful bass voice by singing religious hymns and popular show tunes in local retirement homes. On occasion he would bring his granddaughters Kristianne and Brittany Sunde to accompany him with their flute and violin.

Ginny died of mandibular cancer in 2013 after a courageous two year battle. After 63 years of marriage, Darrell found himself almost inconsolable. Reaching out to former classmates in high school and junior college, he reconnected with Dorothy Hoyt. Mirroring a Hallmark love story, Dorothy and Darrell were married on August 4, 2015, in the middle of the Monterey Bay surrounded by breaching humpback whales aboard the Beachhopper 2 owned and operated by Brian and MaryJo Nelson. Dorothy’s compassionate heart gave new energy to Darrell. The Nelson family wishes to say “thank you” to Dorothy’s family for allowing her to move to Roseville in Northern California and away from her family in the Tustin area.

Darrell’s mortal life concluded quickly due to a series of cascading medical issues. He continued to be mentally alert and involved with all his medical decisions to the very last day. The Sutter Hospital Hospice Team made his last few mortal hours comfortable and pain free. Darrell entered into eternal life and completed his baptismal vows of being one with Christ on Saturday night May 14, 2022. The timing of his physical death coincided with the final notes of Verdi’s Requiem performed that same night in downtown Sacramento at the Performing Arts Center which Kim and Rebecca Nelson were in attendance. Darrell timed his exit from this world into God’s eternal embrace as the exemplary bass singer that he was. In the same words as JS Bach, Darrell echoed “To God Be the Glory!”

Darrell was preceded in death by his wife Virginia, parents David and Lillian (Dowell) Nelson, his stepmother Barbara (Easton) Nelson, his brother Robert John Nelson and sister-in-law Helen (Tidball) Nelson. He is survived by his wife Dorothy and children Kim (Rebecca) Nelson, Don (Shelley) Nelson, Brian (MaryJo) Nelson and Barbara (Dave) Sunde along with his niece Diana (Larry) McGrail. His grandchildren are John, Katie, Kiffin, Lndsay, Cathy, Christina, Carolann, Casey, Amy, Kristianne, Brittany and Megan along with 18 great grandchildren.

A Witness to the Resurrection and A Celebration of Life for Darrell Nelson will occur on Saturday, July 16, at 11:00 am at the Pleasant Grove Community Church located at 1730 Pleasant Grove Blvd, Roseville, CA 95747. Phone number 916-771-4447 https://pgcc.church

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in memory of Darrell D. Nelson to Pleasant Grove Community Church, First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana, CA, or a charity of the donor’s choice.