Funeral services for Robert Nelson, 96-year-old Buffalo resident who passed away Monday evening at the Johnson County Health Care Center in Buffalo, will be held Saturday, March 17th at 10:00 a.m. at the Harness Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Tom Ostlund officiating. Visitation will be held from the funeral home chapel on Friday from 1:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Private family interment will be in Willow Grove Cemetery. Donations in Mr. Nelson’s memory may be made to the Robert Nelson Memorial Fund to help he family with final expenses. Online donations and condolences may be made at www.harnessfunerlhome.com
Robert Eugene Nelson was born on January 27, 1922 in Spencer, Iowa to Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Nelson. He grew up and went to school in Iowa and was married on October 30, 1941 in Luana, Iowa to Lauretta I. Funk and they made their home in Luana. They owned and operated farms in various parts of Iowa for several years before moving to Farmersburg, Iowa where they owned and operated their own farm for over 20 years. They retired and sold the farm in 1972 and moved to Buffalo, Wyoming where Robert took a job with the Johnson County Coop and later for the maintenance crew for the City of Buffalo. He was the first B.A.T.S. Bus Driver for the senior center and in 1982 he went to work for the U.S. Forest Service and worked in the Big Horn National Forest District for 20 years. He retired from the Forest Service in 2005 at the age 83. Mrs. Nelson passed away in February of 2010 and Robert continued living in Buffalo until his death. He was a member of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and loved spending time in the mountains. He enjoyed making wooden deer and was always building something.
He is survived by one son Bob Nelson of Buffalo; four granddaughters; Michelle Ross of Wisconsin, Millisa Warden of Beulah, North Dakota, Merenda Nelson of Aurora, Colorado and Lauretta Sullivan of Buffalo; ten great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, two brothers and three sisters.
