Michael A. Nelson – Navy man and grape grower

Michael A. Nelson passed away on Sept. 22, 2006 after an almost
three year battle with complications from lung cancer surgery.
Michael was born in Omaha, Nebraska Sept. 29, 1940. He moved to
California with his family when he was four years old and grew up
in the San Bernardino area. Following two years of service in the
U.S. Navy and serving on the submarine USS Tecumseh, he worked in
Silicon Valley as an electrical engineer for many years. His work
took him to Iran, Russia and China. For the past 15 years Michael
worked as a real estate investor. Michael moved to Healdsburg in
1998 where he continued working as a real estate investor, however,
truly considered himself a farmer and a grape grower. Here, he felt
he had found his true calling and frequently commented,
&#8220this is good for my soul.” In addition, he was a loyal
San Francisco 49er fan who relished in the art of the tailgate
party with friends. He was kind, loving and enjoyed his family,
friends, good food and wine. Michael was hard-working and always
had a positive attitude about life and work as well as his health
issues.
Michael is survived by his wife Leila Robinson; twin sisters
Elizabeth Youngflesh and Catherine Nelson; as well as sister-in-law
Nita Nelson, who was a devoted caregiver for Michael. A celebration
of Mike’s life will be held at his home in Healdsburg on Oct. 14 at
2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mike’s name to
Kid Street Learning Center, PO Box 6784, Santa Rosa, CA, 95406, an
organization he passionately supported.