Alan Ray Nielsen

Alan Ray Nielsen, 64, died April 18, 2020, in the comfort of his home attended by family. Due to the current restrictions on social gatherings, memorial services will be held at a later date. Alan will be laid to rest at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Riverton, Utah. Alan was born December 12, 1955, to Norman Eugene and Verda VaLoie Christensen Nielsen. He was raised, the lone boy, in the middle of six sisters. With the love and support of his family, Alan earned his Eagle Scout award, graduated from Murray High School, served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Milan, Italy, and attended Brigham Young University. While attending BYU he met his sweetheart, Sarah. Code named Au among Alan and his friends; Sarah was gold to him right from the start! In 1978 Alan and Sarah were married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Alan loved computers and spent his career working with them as a software engineer. Alan described himself as a lifelong learner. He read countless books on computer languages, both as a point of interest and as a way to better himself as an employee. From his childhood on, Alan loved playing and studying chess. The best, though, was when play and study overlapped in teaching—Alan loved to share the things he learned with others! That joy colors family memories of learning new games, which provided abundant opportunities to enjoy gaming together whether it be it on a console, with cards in hand, or around the table with a stack of boxes that either contained board games or supplies for an adventure with miniatures and dice. Alan loved the competition and unity found in team sports as he participated in, photographed, and viewed sports, but his preference was always to be surrounded by family at sporting events. Our family photographer and magician will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife, Sarah; five children: Jennifer (Christopher) Hansen, Holly Nielsen, Annette (Nathan) Dutson, Matthew (Chanice) Nielsen, and Mark Nielsen; and his nine grandchildren: Acacia Hansen, Eliora Hansen, Kaylee Dutson, Iris Hansen, Ryker Dutson, Ondine Hansen, Lucy Nielsen, Jayden Dutson, and Isla Nielsen. He is also survived by his six sisters: Linda Drake, Sandy (Grant) Hawkins, Sherri (Rick) Baird, Karen (Alma) Hansen, Jill (Ken) Olson, Kristine (Brent) Boswell; his sister-in-law, Emma (Gary) Baker; and an abundance of beloved nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, his father- and mother-in-law, two brothers-in-law, one niece and one nephew.