Dan F. Nielsen

Dan Floyd Nielsen October 27, 1950 – June 27, 2013 Dan Floyd Nielsen passed away Thursday, June 27, 2013. He was born October 27, 1950 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the fourth son of Eldon Loren Nielsen and Eunice Christensen Nielsen. The family moved to Idaho when Dan was only one. At age fourteen the family moved to Gering Nebraska where he graduated from Gering High School. After one year at a local college Dan went on a LDS Mission to San Paulo Brazil. Dan married Robyn Griffith on June 7, 1978 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. He was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was very involved with the Boy Scout program his whole life and helped his three sons join him as an Eagle Scout. He was very supportive of his children during their formative years. He had great times with his family and especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed history, Ham radio, learning something and anything anytime, singing, languages, reading, writing, model building, traveling, ballroom dancing, Dutch oven cooking and harvesting a garden. Dan loved to ham it up acting and singing in plays. He collected hats and especially loved wearing them after he lost his hair from chemotherapy. Surviving are his wife Robyn, sons; Jeff, Kyle (Stacey), and Greg (Emily) and daughters; Michelle (Jared) and Kristin (Seth), 7 grandchildren, 2 sisters; Christy and Marci; 8 brothers; Ron, Rick, Rog, Paul, Clark, Val, John, and Ken; preceded in death by his parents. Friends may visit the family on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Horan & McConaty Funeral Service, 5303 E. County Line Rd., Centennial. The Funeral services will be held Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at LDS church on 1939 Easter Avenue, Centennial, CO. Interment is at the Chapel Hills Cemetery in Centennial, CO. Farewell Best Friend, I love you. Dan suggested that in lieu of flowers; donations be made to one of the following: 1. Boy Scout Troop 555; make your check to: 'LDS Church Boy Scout Troop 555'. Send it to 5275 E Mineral Circle, Centennial, CO 80122 2. LDS Humanitarian Aid General Fund Step 1: go to www.donate.lds.org. Step 2: Search for church funds/Humanitarian Aid General Fund. If you wish to learn more about this charity you can go towww.ldscharities.org. 3. LDS Perpetual Education Fund Step 1: go to www.donate.lds.org. Step 2: search for church funds/Perpetual Education Fund. If you wish to learn more about this charity you can go to pef.lds.org. Below are excerpts of a personal history, written by Dan. Chapter 1: Background - My Heritage This is the personal history of Dan Floyd Nielsen, son of Eldon Loren Nielsen and Eunice Christensen. My father Eldon was raised in Vernon, Utah, a small ranching and farming community near Tooele, Utah. He is the son of Andrew Alma Nielsen and Ivie Eleanora Olson, both of whom were born and raised in Vernon. Alma Nielsen was a rancher. My patriarchal great grandfather Jens Nielsen was an early settler of Vernon, having come to America from Denmark. My grandmother Ivie's parents came to this land from Sweden. My mother Eunice was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was the daughter of Orson Reuben Christensen and Anna Katherine Felix. My grandfather Orson Ruben, or ""O.R."" as he was known, hailed from Brigham City Utah and was the son of Jacob Christensen who was a native of Denmark. O.R. was a carpenter most of his life. My grandmother Anna Katherine came to America with her parents from Switzerland as a small girl. Chapter 2: My Early Life – a Mother's Perspective I still do not like to think of the days between Halloween and New Year's of 1951, but the New Year brought me new life. We were especially happy at being together and having our daddy home for supper again. It was that spring that I really began to know my little son, Danny Floyd, as we called him. He was named after two of our very dear friends: Dan H. Hanson, who was secretary of the Salt Lake Temple and a business associate of Eldon's in the Lime Cola Bottling Co. (where Eldon worked when we first moved to Bountiful in 1948). The name Floyd came from our neighbor and Bishop, Floyd J. Parkin, who was a quiet, kind man. Dan, today, seems to be much like them both in many ways. I, his mother, can truthfully say that Dan has never given me cause to seriously worry. I have never known anything but pride for him in the ways he has directed his life, and in the self-discipline he has displayed as he carries out every task which he takes on. Somehow we, his family, just know that if Dan accepts a challenge, he will find success in whatever it is, whether it be a part in a play, a wrestling match, a song, missionary work, school degrees, his chosen career, or whatever; he will give it his all and stay with the task until it is done and done well. This is not merely my feeling for Dan, but it is the feeling of all his family as well as of his friends who have taken the time to know him -- as a little boy and as the fine young man he has become. Chapter 3: My Early Life – What I Remember My memories become more vivid when I recall life in our house on 12th Street. In the summer of 1957 I attended kindergarten at Eastside Elementary, and in September of the same year I began school at Linden Park Elementary. I was very small for my age, yet my mother helped me to overcome this barrier through her constant reassurance that what I had inside was more important than what I had on the outside. And as time went on I discovered she was right. My first five years of school, which were all spent at Linden Park Elementary, were quite enjoyable as I remember them now. For some reason, I was always lucky enough to avoid teachers who were known throughout the school as ""meanies"". Other areas of my life at this time were satisfying as well. I had two parents who loved me very much, and I could feel it. I had the best friends I could ever hope to have; these were and are those eight brothers and two sisters I call family. We did many things together as a family, and I suppose that is the reason we have always been so close. There are many ""small"" things that come to my mind in this respect. In the summer of 1962 or so, there was a trip I particularly remember. My parents loved to go on camping trips, so this year we decided to travel from our home in Idaho Falls to a place near Salmon, Idaho. After camping there for a few days we decided it would be nice to go into Wyoming. From there we went into Montana and camped our way up to the Idaho Panhandle. It was ""just another inch on the map, Dad"", so we crossed over into Washington and then Oregon. But, the house still had to be painted during Dad's vacation, so we headed homeward. I cannot remember any other family trip that was more exciting to me than this one! We went leisurely, just a day at a time, enjoying one another's company. As a result we became very close on this trip; it has always stood out in my mind as a time in which I came to know my own family very well. Chapter 4: My Teen Years In 1963 I began seventh grade at O.E. Bell Junior High School, again being shuffled around because of the problem in classroom space. It was still quite a ways from home. I really wasn't very excited about school in those days, even though I loved to learn. My experiences in sixth-grade had taken away the fun of it. But I tried to make the best of it. There was still a lot of paddling going on, and in my morning class it became a daily affair. I was used to it by now, however, and was getting quite proficient at avoiding the paddle. In the fall of 1965, I started my freshman year of high school. I continued to play in the band, but was having a hard time keeping up with more experienced peers. So I turned my full musical attention to singing. It was in this capacity that I participated in the high school musical of that year, The Music Man, in which I took the part of Winthrop. I was chosen for this part because of my small size as well as my maturing voice, a combination that had been difficult to find among other high school students. I also began participating in athletic programs of the school. I went out for track that year, as well as participated in basketball and football as student manager. During the year I nurtured an interest in science as well. I had always been a ""rock hound"", having a sizable collection. I also dabbled a little in chemistry, although my great love at the time was model rocketry. My friends and I had formed a rocket club at school, and we spent many Saturdays launching model rockets that we ourselves had made. It was during this sophomore year that I began to wrestle. I wrestled varsity, although doing rather poorly in interscholastic competition. This was partially due to the fact that I was about twelve pounds underweight for the class in which I wrestled. I lost nearly every match I competed in, despite my efforts -- and the efforts of my parents to fatten me up! In the summer following my sophomore year, I was finally awarded -- after a long, hard struggle -- my Eagle Scout rank from the Boy Scouts of America. I also received my Duty to God award from the LDS church. I continued to strive for academic as well as athletic excellence during my junior year. I really don't know why, but I seemed driven to become involved in several different activities, and to become proficient in them all. This has carried on throughout my life, and has proved to be both a blessing and a cursing. A blessing because I have been able to create and to accomplish many things in my life that have been personally satisfying and important to me, but a cursing because of the terrible frustrations I have also felt at times during my teenage and adult life for falling short of my own expectations. Chapter 5: Serving an LDS Mission After high school ended, I began to feel a certain kind of disillusionment, which was tempered only by the fact that I knew I would soon be going on a mission for the LDS Church. I began to really wonder about life, about what I should try to accomplish. Needless to say, the time passed quickly; it was a year of fun, but also a year of preparation. I turned nineteen in October of 1969 and was desirous and worthy to serve a mission for the Lord. Because of money problems, this was delayed for a few months after I had finished my first year of college in May of 1970. But the time in the interim was well used in study and preparation. In June I found a factory job at Lockwood's, Inc., where I could work nights for better pay than I had received at the hospital. Finally, I received my mission call in August to the Brazil Central Mission. It was during this time that I felt Satan was using his last-minute efforts to convince me not to go. I had noticed during the year other things which might have prompted me to stay home: I had a full scholarship for the next year, those at work and some of my friends could not understand my wanting to go; finances were scarce, and so on. But I had been determined to go on a mission ever since I was a little child, and all of these ""obstacles"" were really not obstacles at all. Yet now I felt like Satan was attacking me directly. I can truly say that I did experience marvelous power and authority as a missionary through diligent service and obedience to my Father in Heaven. Like the Apostle Paul, I felt at its conclusion that I had run a good race, and fought a good fight. Chapter 6: College Days & Young Adulthood I left Brazil about the 16th of October 1972 and received my honorable release soon thereafter. Upon returning to the United States, I enrolled as a sophomore at Brigham Young University. That summer I continued with school and to work. In June 1973 I began working for PBI Freight Company as a dockworker. I was there until August of the next year. I also faced another crisis during this year -- choosing a major. I felt that I was taking the wrong classes, and that I wasn't heading in the direction I should. I subsequently asked the Lord and fasted in order to receive an answer. Having received that answer, I accordingly rearranged my schedule and was assured that I was doing the right thing. I attended school continuously until the summer of 1974. In August, I quit work at PBI and accepted a position as an Economics Teaching Assistant for the coming school year. In April, 1975 I received my B.A. from BYU, graduating magna cum laude in Economics. I immediately left for the east coast to participate in a summer internship with the Economic Research Service of the USDA in Washington D.C., which I thoroughly enjoyed. At the end of the internship they offered me a position, but I declined because I wanted to finish my master's degree first. Upon my return to Provo, I taught a course in Economics during the summer term at BYU, while also taking a few graduate classes. I had also fallen hopelessly in love with a young lady from Provo during the year, one of several such relationships that I had initiated during my post mission years -- although I had thought with this relationship that my time had finally come. Well, it had not, and when the class I was teaching ended in August, so did our relationship. Chapter 7: I Find the Love of My Life Around Thanksgiving I was at my parents' home in Sandy when Mountain Bell, the Wyoming Public Utility Commission, and Portland's Northwestern Natural Gas Co. all called the same weekend with job offers. I was very surprised at Mountain Bell's offer, but it seemed to be the best one. After prayer and an overnight consideration, I called them back and accepted the offer. We set a date for me to report to work after the holidays on January 9, 1978. . On Sunday, we attended the Denver Single's Ward on 7th and Pearl, where my mother (bless her heart) promptly embarrassed me by telling all the young ladies in Relief Society that her son was new in town and was looking for a wife! I said goodbye to Mom and Dad between church sessions, and sent them on their way. That evening at Sacrament Meeting I was asked to pass the sacrament, and happened to sit next to Paul Fletcher. We quickly became friends. He suggested that we go to a youth fireside being held that evening at the Jewell building, so off we went. After the fireside, I was introduced to a few people – including a girl I thought was very cute, by the name of Robyn Griffith. I didn't think much of it, though, and went home to my new apartment. So that is how it happened. I moved to Denver on Friday, found my apartment on Saturday, met my future wife on Sunday, and started my new job on Monday. What a weekend! Robyn and I continued dating, and on April 7, 1978, I asked her to marry me. I told her to wear something nice, because we were going out to dinner at a rather fancy place. We went to the Broker Restaurant in downtown Denver, where I had pre-arranged to have a table set in the quietness of the bank vault. After the meal, I had the waitress bring an engraved crystal vase filled with matchbooks, along with a red rose. Robyn's engagement ring was hidden under all the matchbooks, so she had to dig for it. Right there I asked her to marry me, and she said yes! Of course, I later asked her father for her hand in marriage, to make sure it was ok! Chapter 8: A New Home, But Tragedy Strikes Unfortunately, this first year of our marriage was to be marred by tragedy. In August of that year Robyn's mother Elaine was killed in a hit-and-run car accident while traveling to Price, Utah. Her children Pam and Mike were in the car with her. Mike received a concussion, and had to be carefully monitored for a few days. Pam seemed to be in a trance. The event was as traumatic a situation as anyone could imagine; the whole family was devastated. When Robyn and I received the phone call, it was all I could do to comfort my new wife, who sobbed uncontrollably. We went to my father-in-law's side as quickly as possible to provide what comfort we could. My role as new son-in-law was to answer the phone calls, and to notify friends and relatives of the devastating news. This was all very difficult, for all of us, but it also bonded the family together in ways we could not have previously imagined. I remember reflecting on the recently-taken family portrait hanging in the living room; how grateful the family was that this was taken only a few months previously. Thirteen-year-old Rich kept asking when his mother would be home from the hospital, which was just not to be. All of us were in deep despair and sorrow. Chapter 9: Life Goes On, and a New Son! Later that year we learned we were expecting the birth of our first child, and on May 28, 1979 we welcomed Jeffrey Dan Nielsen into our home. What extreme joy and happiness I felt! Chapter 10: Raising our Family through the Years Through the ensuing years, we welcomed four more children into our home, and raised our family. After Jeff's arrival, Michelle Elaine, Kristin Nicole, Kyle David, and Gregory Alexander were born. Now, much of my and Robyn's time and attention were spent with the children and striving to raise them within the light of the gospel. Following is a summary of the different areas of our lives, to give some perspective as to how this developed. I had a lot of fun playing with my kids as they were growing up! When they were little, a favorite game we used to play was ""piano"", where I had them all lay on the bed next to each other as I tickled them while humming renditions of ""Flight of the Bumblebee"", ""Beethoven's Fifth Symphony"", or other tunes. I have always been something of a kid myself, I suppose, and I never missed a chance to play with them. For the boys playing together usually meant participating in some scouting activity. I was always their scout leader in some way or other, and that helped create opportunities for spending time with my boys. We went on camping excursions, canoe trips, and annual scout camps. We also did a lot of camping together as a family. For Michelle and Kristin, Robyn and I supported them in their school sporting activities, especially high school cheerleading and diving for Michelle, and softball, basketball, and soccer for Kristin. I think we must have done something right, because every one of them has a very strong work ethic as adults, and are so generous with their time in helping others, and their mother and me with chores when they come to visit us. My Professional Life As noted above, I moved to Denver in January of 1978 to begin a career in telecommunications after teaching Economics at Brigham Young University for a few years and then working at the Economic Research Service in Washington, D.C. After a 35-year career as an Economist, Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Fraud Examiner and an expert witness in regulatory compliance matters and business process controls, I retired in 2010 to cope with a serious illness. Professional certifications and honors I earned along the way include Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certification in Control Self-Assessment (CCSA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Operations and Technologies 1997 President's Club, and Risk-based Integrated Auditing International Gold Award Winner for 1999. For the last few years of my career, I also served as Chief Economist for Qwest Communications International in Denver, Colorado. My Hobbies and Interests Learning and Reading – I have always loved to learn and to read, especially about history and historical events. I have always believed that there is nothing one cannot learn if he or she takes the time to read, study, and practice - to take the time it takes to learn it. I remember a quote from one of my college classes that I have found to be true: ""There are no uninteresting things, only uninterested people."" Writing – I have always liked to write, and because my profession demanded it, over the years I became somewhat proficient in technical writing. But I wish I were a better writer. Real Estate – I have studied and learned much about this topic, to the point that in later life it began to lose its luster for me. But no question, investing in real estate has been very good to us financially over the years. It is no longer a mystery to me how to do it, either, because I took the time to learn and then put that knowledge into practice. I have taken countless classes in real estate management, buying, selling, property appraisal, and am a qualified home inspector. I did all of this out of curiosity, for the knowledge, to put into practice for our investing program -- not as a profession. Income Taxes – I learned how to be an income tax preparer from Grant Griffith, my father-in-law, and worked in his business in the evenings and on weekends during the first few years of our marriage. The application of the knowledge and principles I learned through these experiences over the subsequent years has been worth its weight in gold. ""Read the forms!"" was Grant's mantra. I would encourage all my children and grandchildren not only to read the tax forms, but to read and study all the free booklets the US government publishes, that apply to your personal tax situation. And if you can, learn to prepare your own income taxes. No one knows your own financial situation better than you do, nor should they. Outdoor Cooking – This interest began during my years as a youth leader in the Boy Scouts of America. There is something about cooking out of doors that makes it fun; I'm not sure why! Dutch oven cooking in particular has been a fun activity for me. Building Airplane Models from Balsa Wood – I suppose this interest started as a child, when my brother Rog and I built models of airplanes and cars. But the hobby took on a new dimension when, as a father, I continued building models with my own sons. I have always been fascinated with the miracle of flight, and have always enjoyed using balsa wood as the medium, to build models of aircraft. Retirement and Health Challenges I have always enjoyed working. One of the greatest secrets of life is that man's need to work is also one of the Lord's greatest blessings. Because of this knowledge, I regret that I was compelled to retire early, yet in another sense I realize that to retire when I did turned out to be a blessing for me personally, because I probably would have worked at my profession longer than would have been wise for me or my family. The Lord has been good to us; at this writing (May, 2012), I think we will be fine financially. In any case, the Lord has taught us to live prudently, if we only will. In my retirement, I have also come to appreciate my family more. At this writing (June, 2012), we now have six grandchildren that have been added to our family, whom we thoroughly enjoy. Family is important, and these relationships must be cherished for all time and eternity Chapter 11: My Testimony of the Gospel I know that Heavenly Father lives, and that his son Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and Redeemer of the world. I know that he is my Savior, personally, as well as the Savior of all mankind to all who will accept and believe in him. I know that the Church he established when he was on the earth was taken in apostasy, yet through God's mercy was later restored to the earth through Joseph Smith, a latter-day prophet. I know the Holy Bible to be the word of God as far as it was translated correctly; it is a wonderful volume of scripture. I also know the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price to be the word of God. And I know that God continues to reveal many wonderful and great things to his children through latter-day prophets and seers who are now on the earth. I have been blessed throughout my life with many insights, promptings, discernments, and manifestations of the Spirit of God; I know through personal experience that the spirit world exists and is not far from us. I know and testify that I was lead by divine inspiration to find and marry the finest eternal companion I could ever have. I found her because I was persistent, and humble enough to permit myself to be lead by the Spirit of God to find her. This was not an easy time of life for me, nor an easy task for me to do. I found the right person for me to marry because I kept looking, and because I kept asking the Lord to help me. My witness is that he lead me to her, and helped me to court her in such a way that she would accept what I had to offer her, little as it was. I have been forever blessed for the series of events that occurred in my life during the first half of 1978, which laid the foundation for a wonderful family life complete with children and grandchildren. I have often marveled at the irony of that year, one that held so much promise and happiness during the first half, and yet so much tragedy and despair in the second. But such is life. My testimony of life and of the gospel is also one of service. I testify that one can never really be happy unless he or she finds some way to be of service to others, and to help them. I have learned in my life that we truly are all brothers and sisters, connected in ways that we may not always fully understand. We need to learn (and practice) to love and serve one another, even as the Savior himself did. We need to be slow to judge others harshly, and quick to forgive them. We must forgive others even when they themselves believe they have done no wrong. We need to soften our hearts, not harden them, especially when we feel we have been unjustly treated or offended. It is not enough to be ""right""; we must also be humble and forgiving. These have been hard lessons for me to learn during my life, but over time I feel I have learned what Heavenly Father wanted me to learn. I now admonish my children and grandchildren to follow this counsel, and promise you that if you do, you will be blessed. All of these things I testify of, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.