Eugene Elden "Gene" Nelson

Eugene Elden Nelson, known to all as Gene, died peacefully at home in Grand Junction, Colorado, on March 10, 2026, at the age of 90. Born on April 27, 1935, in Provo, Utah, to Elden and Helen Nelson, he was the second of seven children: Jim, Gene, Mary Ann, Dave, Joe, Kathy, and Robert. His early years in Garfield, Utah, and later Provo were shaped by a close-knit family, including fishing trips with his machinist father and the musical grace of his mother, a gifted pianist who accompanied singers at community gatherings.

Gene’s deep love of the outdoors began in childhood alongside his father, who took him fishing for cutthroat trout at Strawberry Reservoir. That bond ended tragically when Gene was sixteen; his father drowned at Fish Lake in Sevier County while trying to save a friend, an event Gene witnessed and later recounted with quiet conviction about the character of a man who would not abandon another in need.

After graduating from Provo High School, Gene enlisted in the United States Navy in July 1953, serving aboard the USS Tiru out of Pearl Harbor as an Electrician’s Mate First Class until his honorable discharge in June 1957. He then fulfilled a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Central Atlantic States. At Brigham Young University, he discovered his passion for entomology and earned a master’s degree in the field. Gene built a distinguished career with the Colorado State University Extension Service, where his work in pest management left a lasting legacy. In the San Luis Valley, he identified the aphid species responsible for potato leaf roll virus and helped eradicate the disease, supporting the region’s vital seed potato industry. He also created a computer-based predictive model for codling moth management that allowed apple growers to spray more precisely and effectively.

Gene is remembered as a patient and devoted father who made annual summer road trips with his first wife and their children—Kellene Mortensen, Elden Nelson, Lori Nelson, Jodi Nelson, and Christy Nelson Williams—from Colorado to the beaches of North Carolina. He was an avid fisherman and bowhunter, a devoted Scout leader who created memorable adventures for his troops, and a gifted storyteller whose tales of hunts, travels, and misadventures could hold any room in quiet attention. A peacemaker who never raised his voice, he found joy in a life of service, including two missions he served with his second wife, Janel Zeyer Hales, whom he married in 1994. Together they spent 31 years sharing a deep partnership grounded in faith, travel, and quiet pride in accomplishments such as Gene learning Portuguese.

Gene Nelson lived a rich and purposeful life as a submariner, scientist, missionary, hunter, fisherman, storyteller, Scout leader, husband, father, grandfather, and man of God. He faced early losses with resilience and always maintained that life could be good. He is survived by his wife Janel, his children, and a wide circle of family and friends whose lives were enriched by his steady presence and generous spirit.