Jerold "Jerry" Arthur Nelson

Jerold "Jerry" Nelson, aged 88, passed away on July 23, 2026. He is survived by his wife, Nola Sterling, his four children, Jennifer, Peter, John, and Charles, stepdaughter, Kerri, and his sister, Audrey. He is also survived by nine grandchildren. Jerry was born and raised in Minneapolis and was the son of Gerda and Art, children of Norwegian and Swedish immigrants. Jerry was proud of his Scandinavian heritage, particularly the Norwegians. He was valedictorian of his high school class and attended the University of Minnesota, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in English and earning entrance into the prestigious honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. He received his Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley in Library and Information Science. Before attending Berkeley, Jerry was an officer in the Coast Guard and was stationed in San Francisco and Honolulu. For most of his career he taught in the Library School at the University of Washington where he was a professor. He retired in 2003 and became professor emeritus. For leisure he spent time traveling with his wife Nola, his children, and eventually grandchildren. He was an excellent bread baker. He loved the outdoors and passed this love on to his kids by taking them camping and hiking in the Pacific Northwest and on road trips back to Minnesota. He enjoyed playing all ball games, especially tennis, racquetball, and basketball with friends and his kids-and he always had a frisbee in his car. He was also a musician, playing trumpet since high school, piano, accordion, guitar, and harmonica. He inspired his children and grandchildren to play and appreciate music. Jerry was kind, generous, funny and compassionate. He was a beloved son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. He will be missed by family and friends alike.