Obituary of Forrest Alan Nelson

Forrest Alan Nelson of St. Louis Park died unexpectedly on October 18, 2022, of natural causes, at the age of 62. Forrest was born in November, 1959 in Madison, MN, to Marilyn and Hal Nelson. He graduated from Madison High School in 1977. He attended the University of MN where he joined the ROTC. He spent several summers in ROTC training and joined the Marine Corps, where he served honorably for 3 years. He later completed his college degree, receiving his BA from Metro State, where he was a theatre major, appearing in many theatre productions. At the time of his death, he was a valued employee of Home Depot in St. Louis Park, where he will be missed by his colleagues. Forrest was a golfer from the age of 12 and remained an avid and excellent golfer throughout his life, playing courses across the US.  Most recently he was a member of the Brookview Mens’ Golf Club. His close friend Cassie Beckstrom described Forrest this way: “Forrest was an avid pursuer of the arts, theatre, the written word, and known to always provide intellectual and witty conversation. Not only was he intelligent, he encouraged others and was inspirational and brought out the brilliance inside them. There was never a dull moment with Forrest around—always having a thought-provoking quote, or the most interesting clipping he’d find within a magazine. He was charming; a talented actor with a beautiful voice—brilliant, a hard worker, and when he had an idea he could light up a room.” It’s hard to think of life without him. He was preceded in death by his father, Hal Nelson. He is survived by his mother, Marilyn Nelson, his sister Karmen Nelson (Phil), his nieces Kailen and Aisling Polley, his uncles Richard Lund and Dale Nelson (Barb), his cousins Paul, Peter (Rey), and Mark (Cheryl) Lund, Nancy Schaaf (George), Kris and Kendra Nelson, and Lisa (Kevin) Erickson and their families, and Phil’s sons Alex and Rory.  He will be missed by golf buddies too numerous to mention, many of whom have played with him since he first picked up a club. Many thanks to you for sharing so many wonderful years and rounds with him.  Memorials may be directed to any charity that provides youth or veterans the opportunity to learn and play golf, the game he so loved.  Examples include The First Tee and PGA Hope.  In accord with his wishes, no service will be held.  Please enjoy a round of golf, a bike ride, a good book or a nice walk in his memory.