Dale R. Nielsen

Dale R. Nielsen RACINE-Dale R. Nielsen, age 61, was born in Racine on December 12, 1953 and passed away November 7th, 2015 after a courageous battle with stage IV colon cancer. Although the cancer attacked his body it could not touch his spirit. His will to live sent him on stoic 2 ½ year battle. He never played the cancer card, never complained about treatment and proved what an exceptional person he was. He was a lifelong resident of Racine, the son of Clayton H. and Irene G. (nee: Chapas) Nielsen. He attended McKinley elementary and middle school and graduated from Horlick High School in 1972. Before college he worked at his father’s company, Nielsen Iron works in Racine. Dale then graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 1977 with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Human Resources. After college graduation he was a project manager at Nielsen‘s building Northwest Mutual Life in Downtown Milwaukee. In 1984, his father, brothers and Tom Johnson formed Nielsen Building Systems, an architectural design-build firm. Dale then began selling architectural products and became the Wisconsin Distributor for Kalwall, a translucent wall panel. He built many signature projects that many would be familiar with: The atrium skylight at the Milwaukee Airport, the curved arch entry skylights to many Aurora Health Care medical centers, the Olympic training facility at Northern Michigan University, and the translucent panels and opening outfield walls at Miller Park in Milwaukee. At Oshkosh he met his wife Beth Hartman, also from Racine and they married in 1980. Together they raised two wonderful children, Christo and Erica. Dale is survived by his loving wife Beth (Hartman) of 35 years, son Christo Nielsen and daughter, Erica (Caleb) Butler all of Racine; grandsons, Logan Fesko, Charles and Brady Butler, brother Jim Nielsen and sister-in-law Sandi Nielsen. He is further survived by five nephews and a niece, other relatives and many dear friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Clayton and Irene, brother Bruce and mother-in-law Charlotte Hartman. Dale was a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, 5th Street Yacht Club and Salmon Unlimited and enjoyed spending time on his boat on Lake Michigan. During his illness the family would reminisce about how much fun they had on vacations together, family events and football games, to name a few. Dale’s love of the outdoors led to many adventures: snow skiing, scuba diving, sailing, boating and fishing (where he always caught his limit), and especially his time at the cottage in the North Woods. Dale was a lot of fun, whether telling jokes or hilarious stories (usually about himself), spending time with family, friends and making new friends wherever he went. As Dale would say “It really was A Wonderful Life”. A heartfelt note of thanks to Dr. Ryan Engel and the entire staff at Wheaton Cancer Center for all their compassionate care and support. Also a special thanks to our family and friends for the countless acts of kindness during Dale’s extended illness.

Tributes

Dale R. Nielsen

December 12, 1953 - November 7, 2015