Nelson Williams Aldrich

Nelson Williams Aldrich, 89, of Minneapolis, MN, passed away of natural causes at his home at the Residence at North Ridge on the morning of Sunday, June 8, 2025. Nelson was born on March 11, 1936, the last of the four children of Glen Melville Aldrich and Esther Williams Aldrich of Cheshire, CT. He grew up in Jamestown, RI, where his family had moved shortly after his birth. He graduated from Rogers High School in neighboring Newport, RI, in 1954, where he was described as an easy-going lad with a subtle sense of humor, qualities he exhibited for the rest of his life. After high school, he served as an ammunition supply specialist in the US Army, stationed in Germany. When he returned to the US, he enrolled at the University of Rhode Island, joining the All Nations Club and the Christian Association, and graduated in 1960 with a degree in Animal Husbandry. He moved to Minneapolis, MN in 1962 after a stint in Boston, MA repairing gas lines. In the fall of 1969, he married Nellie Ann Ball (née Halverson), to whom he remained a faithful husband until her death in 2008. Together, they attended the Oak Grove Church in Golden Valley, MN, where his agreeable and outgoing temperament suited him well as chief usher. Throughout his life, Nelson was an avid photographer, winning a Star Tribune Kodak International Snapshot Award in 1971. His extraordinary work as a doorman at the downtown Medical Arts Center was featured in a January 30, 1988, Star Tribune article entitled "The Ins and Outs of a Doorman." He loved this job, and held it for 35 years with the same caring attitude, never losing his Rhode Island accent. He retired only when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and, even then, his favorite place to sit was near the front door of the Residence, where he could greet folks coming and going. Nelson is survived by Nellie's children, Shirley Hudson of Otsego, MN, and Harlan Ball Jr. of Annandale, MN; his nieces, Catherine G. Hopper of Lyme, NH, and Judith A. Ramsdell of Manchester, CT; his nephews, Charles J. Hopper of Charlottesville, VA, and Douglas Aldrich of Toone, TN; and numerous step-grandchildren, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews. Nelson was predeceased by his wife, Nellie, and his three siblings, Donald Aldrich, Glenna A. Hopper, and J. Kenneth Aldrich. He will be buried next to Nellie in Glen Haven Memorial Gardens. A celebration of his life will be held on June 24 at 2:00 p.m. at the Washburn-McReavy Funeral Home, 5125 W. Broadway, Crystal, MN 55429, with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. A reception will follow the service.

Tributes

Nelson Williams Aldrich

March 11, 1936 - June 8, 2025

Tributes

Nelson Williams Aldrich

March 11, 1936 - June 8, 2025

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