Ross Nelson

Ross Gregor Nelson, 93, a longtime resident of Manchester, Connecticut, passed away quietly at his home on June 24, 2024 with his family by his side. Born December 15, 1930, Ross was the son of Herbert and Elizabeth (Betty) Nelson. He grew up in Hartford, where his father worked in the insurance business after serving with the Yankee Division in France during World War I, and where his mother taught English at Hartford Public High School after graduating from Pembroke (now Brown University) in Providence, Rhode Island. His grandparents on his father's side, Claes and Emma Nilsons, emigrated from Sweden to South Woodstock, Connecticut, in the 1870s, while his mother, of Scottish descent, hailed from the Ross family of Nova Scotia, Canada.
As a youth, Ross made regular trips to the family farms in Woodstock and Nova Scotia, often hunting and fishing with his father, his brother, David, and his many uncles and cousins. He fondly remembered riding in horse-drawn buggies, breakfasting on fish cakes and oyster stew, and vacationing at his parents' cottage on Coventry Lake. Roller skating and square dancing were favorite activities. His extended family remained close throughout his life, both to each other and to their rural roots. They imbued Ross with a deep sense of family responsibility, and also with nostalgia for an old-time way of life that contrasted dramatically with the urban environment of Hartford during the 1930s and 1940s.
Ross graduated from Bulkeley High School in 1948, and, embracing modern times, enrolled in trade school to become an electrician. During his long career he oversaw crews sometimes numbering thirty men or more to work on projects that included the rewiring of the Travelers Tower in downtown Hartford and the installation of the gigantic median lights on Interstate Route 91 outside Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1956 he married Noreen (Rene) Toth of Woodstock, Connecticut, who attended Woodstock Academy and graduated in 1949 as captain of the women's basketball team. She was a 1955 graduate from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in physical education.
Together, Ross and Rene raised three sons, Neal, Kirk, and Eric, moving in 1964 from their first house in East Hartford to their residence in Manchester, Connecticut. Here they became active members for more than fifty years of Center Congregational Church, where they served on numerous committees. Ross volunteered to help wire the Church's community housing project, and he helped Rene with the Antiques & Collectibles booth that she organized for the Church's annual fundraising fair. He also helped her with the annual "Meal in the Upper Room" ceremony, which she organized as president of the Women's Group. Local Boy Scout Troop 25 held its meetings every Wednesday night in Woodruff Hall at the Church, and Ross and Rene enrolled all three sons in the Troop, each achieving the level of Eagle Scout.
Ross himself had entered scouting at age 11 in Hartford's Troop 9, progressing to the level of Star Scout. As a young man he served briefly in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, completing a prescribed course at the U.S. Naval School in San Diego, California, in 1956.
When presented with the opportunity to reenter scouting as the father of three sons, he did so with commitment. Ross volunteered his electrical expertise during the early-to-mid 1970s to wire Troop 25's new Camp Kirkham property. He served on the Troop Committee, becoming Chairman, and served as an officer of the Camp Kirkham Corporation for decades until his death. Ross led both the week-long Appalachian Trail hikes and Connecticut River canoe trips. He received his ten-year party and twenty-five-year recognition, and was honored by the Troop for forty-plus years of service in 2018.
Retiring from electrical work in 1991, Ross devoted himself to family life and to a growing passion for collecting antiques. In particular, he became an admirer of American antique glass. This passion resonated closely with his childhood memories of life on the family farms. It was heightened by a wave of popular interest in antiques generated by the country's Bicentennial celebrations in 1976, and was further stimulated by the gift of a rare Tiffany glass vase he received from his aunt, Marie Goss, in the early 1970s. Ross and Rene attended auctions and glass conventions all across the eastern United States, spending countless happy hours hunting through antiques shops and shows, visiting museums, and making many close friends through their membership in the National American Glass Club. Ross served as a trustee of The Pitkin Glass Works, Inc., a non-profit organization working to preserve the partially-standing ruins of Manchester's famous 18th-century Pitkin glass factory. He spoke on the subject of glass at numerous club meetings over the years, and in 2019 he donated his extensive collection to the New Bedford Museum of Glass, where it can be seen on public display.
Both Ross and Rene are remembered fondly for their outdoor lunches, Halloween parties, and other contributions to neighborhood life. The couple became world travelers in their later years, and enjoyed reminiscing about their adventures in Alaska, Hawaii, and Europe. They also were ardent fans of the women's basketball program at the University of Connecticut. Rene passed away from Alzheimer's disease in 2015, and Ross became a generous supporter of Alzheimer's research throughout the remaining years of his life.
Ross was predeceased by his wife, Noreen. He is survived by his brother, Rev. David D. Nelson and his life companion, Catharen M. White, of Mansfield, Connecticut. He also is survived by his son Neal Nelson and his wife, Maria, of Andover, Connecticut; son Kirk Nelson of New Bedford, Massachusetts; and son Eric Nelson and his wife, Emily Costello, of Winchester, Massachusetts.
Ross also is survived by Neal's children and grandchildren: Wesley Nelson, his wife, Libby, and their children, Reggie and Ruth; Miranda Nelson Grover, her husband, Chris, and their children, Daemien, Syris, Harlan and Xander; and Chase Nelson. Neal and Maria's daughter, Victoria L. Nelson, predeceased her grandfather in July 2020.
Ross also is survived by Kirk's daughter, Betsy, and Eric and Emily's children, Lucca and Ella.
Relatives and friends are invited to a memorial service at Center Congregational Church in Manchester on Saturday, July 20th, at 11 a.m. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Center Congregational Church (11 Center St., Manchester, CT 06040), Troop 25 BSA (c/o Center Congregational Church), and the New Bedford Museum of Glass (427 County St., New Bedford, MA 02740).