Richard 'Dick' Jesse Nelson, 69

Richard “Dick” Jesse Nelson, 69, joined his wife Kaie in Heaven at 2 a.m. on June 15, 2016.

Dick was born on Sept. 10, 1946, the son of Gene and Leatrice Nelson. He grew up in Priest River, Idaho, and married Kaie Guhlke on Nov. 5, 1966. Dick and Kaie were blessed with two sons Mark and Spencer. They moved to Scappoose, Ore., in 1969.

Dick worked on the Freemont Bridge as a labor foreman, then they moved back to Priest River in 1971. He then bought a logging truck and started logging. He logged for years; then in the late 1980s he bought a backhoe and dump truck and started Nelson & Sons Excava-tion. Dick was a hard worker and ran the family business for the remainder of his life.

Dick was loved in the Priest River community, and by anyone who got the chance to know him. He had a great sense of humor and was rarely seen without a smile on his face. He had an unmistakable laugh and made many friends through the years.

Dick loved going to Bull Lake, Mont., with Kaie every year. They would park their motorhome at Bull Lake every summer on Kaie’s Birthday, May 26, where it would stay until August. They would make several trips to Montana to attend a series of events throughout the summer. The Rendezvous, Homer T’s Birthday, various festivals, fishing, and spending time with the many friends they had made in Montana. Dick made friends wherever he went and will be missed by all of us.

Dick is survived by his sons, Mark and Spencer; a granddaughter, Bailey; his mother, Leatrice; a sister, Carol; his brothers, Gene, Tom, and Ernie; and his two pets, Bandit and Momo.

The family will spread Dick’s ashes at Bull Lake, where he will reunite with Kaie there, on Saturday, July 2. Then a celebration of Dick’s life will commence at the Nelson home on Sunday, July 3, beginning at noon, where we will all gather and remember some of the good times we had with Dick and Kaie through the years. They would have had their 50th wedding anniversary on Nov. 5 of this year.