Obituary of Richard L. Nelson

Richard L. Nelson, 94, of Goshen, died Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at Glen Arden in Goshen, NY. He was born October 15, 1922 in Union City, NJ, the son of Ivar August Nelson and Ada Mae Nelson. Nelson retired as County Administrator of Bergen County, NJ in 1988 and moved to Ulster County, NY after building a retirement residence there. He and his wife, Elizabeth previously lived in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. Nelson had the distinction of having been appointed County Administrator by both Republican and Democrat administrations, and served for 29 years as either Assistant Administrator or County Administrator. When Bergen County changed to the County Executive form of government, Nelson wrote the charter for the new government. When Bergen Pines County Hospital, the eighth largest public hospital in the country, lost its psychiatric accreditation, Nelson was assigned as Interim Director and was successful in having the hospital's accreditation restored. Nelson and his wife, Elizabeth, bred and showed Great Danes under the kennel name Woodcliff. Their brindle, Ch, Woodliff's Sister Carrie, defeated 141 females at the Great Dane National Specialty at Westchester Kennel Club in 1981. Woodcliff produced 7 generations of Great Dane champions in 30 years of competition. Prior to Great Danes, Nelson trained and ran Labrador Retrievers in field trials. He served for 10 years as Secretary-Treasurer and Field Trial Chairman of the Westchester Retriever Club, one of the first retriever clubs formed in the United States. He also served as a licensed field trial judge. Before his county government work, Nelson was the Administrative Assistant to the late State Senator Walter H. Jones from 1954 to 1959. Prior to that, he was the courthouse reporter for the Bergen Evening Record from 1946 to 1954. Nelson graduated from Rutgers University in 1943 and then served three years in the United States Marine Corps. His service included the Pacific Theater at Iwo Jima. Nelson played lacrosse at Rutgers, and after the war played five years with the Montclair Athletic Club before becoming a referee of college and high school lacrosse games. Nelson was a Director of the Midland Bank and Trust Co. of Paramus, NJ, prior to its merger with Valley National Bank. A lifelong golfer, he was a member of the New Paltz Golf Club, New Paltz, NY. Nelson was former Treasurer of the Shawangunk Valley Fire District and a member of the Great Dane Club of Raritan Valley, NJ and the Westchester Retriever Club of New York. Nelson was predeceased by his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth, in 2014. He is survived by two children, Stacey L. Nelson of Newburgh, NY and Scott P. Nelson of Wyckoff, NY and by three grandchildren, Stephen Bishop of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, and Austin and Paige Nelson of New York City. The family would like extend their sincere appreciation to the entire staff at Glen Arden for the wonderful care given to Richard. A Celebration of Life will be Sunday, November 6 from 1 to 3 PM at the Donovan Funeral Home, Inc., 82 South Church Street, Goshen, NY, with the Memorial Service and Military Honors at 2:45 pm Memorial contributions may be made to the Walden Humane Society, 2489 Albany Post Road, Walden, NY 12586 and the Shawangunk Valley Fire Company, 2150 Bruynswick Road, Wallkill, NY 12589. Arrangements under the care of the Donovan Funeral Home, Inc., Goshen. To leave the family a condolence visit www.donovanfunerals.com