Andrew Nielsen

Colonel Andrew Dale Nielsen

1924-2016

Andrew Dale Nielsen (called Dale by his family) was born on Armistice Day November 11, 1924, in Wellsville, Utah to Ann Kerr Walters and Andrew Baxter Nielsen.  He was the third of five children.  He graduated in 1943 from Rigby High School.

Andy grew up in Rigby, Idaho where he frequently got into mischief with his brother Leigh.  Andy enlisted in the US Army in 1943 and was assigned to the horse cavalry, which later mechanized.  He served in North Africa and Italy.  He was among the first group of American soldiers to enter and liberate Rome with the 701st Tank Destroyer Battalion.  After the war, Andy joined the Idaho National Guard and served in Korea with the 116th Engineer Battalion.  He retired with the permanent rank of Colonel and was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General (Honorary) prior to his retirement.  He served with the US Army and Idaho National Guard for over 39 years.

Andy married Eliza Leone Cordon on February 18, 1946.  Together they had three children: Eric, Teresa and Lynne.  After Teresa’s death they adopted her daughter Kimberly.  While living in Rigby, Andy worked for his father at Nielsen Motors.  He subsequently completed a civil engineering degree at Utah State University in Logan, Utah.  After graduation he worked for the Idaho Transportation Department until his retirement, serving as a District Manager and State Maintenance Engineer.

Andy was physically active.  He enjoyed golfing and once had a hole-in-one.  Andy had a great passion for skiing and skied into his late 80's.  He would gladly ski with anyone who thought they could keep up with him.  He skied several weeks after breaking his collar bone and again several weeks after knee replacement surgery.

After retiring, Andy and Leone moved to Salt Lake City to be near their children.  While in Salt Lake they served as Ordinance Workers in both the LDS Jordan River and Salt Lake Temples.  They served a mission in the Arizona Phoenix Mission.  They spent the entire 18 months in Indian Wells, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation.  They loved their mission and kept in touch with the people they met there.  They also brought back a memento from their mission—a dog named Thumper.  Even though Leone doted on the dog, he was Andy’s shadow wherever Andy went.

Leone passed away in 2004.  Andy later married a high school friend Betty Ann Woods Forsyth Miller.  The spent almost 11 happy years together.  After several years of traveling between their homes in Salt Lake City and Yachats, Oregon, they decided to live permanently in Yachats.  Together they traveled to Africa and throughout Europe while visiting Betty’s children.

Andy is preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, Leigh Nielsen, Mary Nordlund, Ida Holmgren and JoAnn Spaulding; by his daughter Teresa, and both wives.  He is survived by his son Eric (Marva) Nielsen, daughter Lynne Nielsen, daughter Kimberly (Jonas) Mitchell; grandchildren Annaka Nielsen, Agustin “Tino” Mitchell, Jason Kinnersley, Christopher Kinnersley, and Heidi Norton, as well as seven great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held Friday night, September 16, 2016, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Cannon Mortuary located at 2460 Bengal Blvd. (7600 S.), Salt Lake City, Utah.  A viewing will also be held Saturday morning, September 17, 2016,  from 10:00 to 10:45 am with the funeral at 11:00 am at the Wasatch Stake Center, 8170 S Shorthills Dr, (3425 E.), Salt Lake City, Utah.  Interment will be in the Willard City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Andrew’s name to the Huntsman Cancer Center.

Funeral Recording