Carlton A. “Swede” Nelson

On March 19, 2020, Carlton Arthur “Swede” Nelson, 83, of Fremont, NH, died peacefully at home following a three-year hard-fought battle with cancer.

Swede was born in Quincy, MA, on Feb 26, 1937 to parents Arthur and Ruth (Westhrin) Nelson. He graduated from North Quincy High School, where he played football and was the 1954 class president. He attended Northeastern University, graduating with a BS and MS in chemistry. There Swede met Dorothy Breen, which started a friendship that led to their marriage of almost 56 years.

Swede had a varied career before retirement in 2005. His jobs including work at Cambridge Nuclear Corporation and Sanders Nuclear as a nuclear pharmaceutical chemist, Nashua Diesel Service, a GMC Dealership, as an owner and dealer principal, Carrier Corporation, Karcher Corporation and Snap-ON tools in a sales capacity and lastly at Eastern Bag and Paper in a service capacity.

The two most important things in his life were his family and music. Swede has sung with many Massachusetts and NH Choral groups and church choirs. The most recent were Manchester Choral Society and Bethany Covenant Congregational Church where he directed a men’s chorus and enjoyed singing with his friends in the senior choir.

Swede and Dottie were fortunate to be able to travel extensively, when they retired, including travel to 51 countries on 5 continents, often accompanied with family and dear friends. A family trip to Sweden with 4 of their grandchildren provided an opportunity for 4 generations of Nelsons, Swedish and American to meet and forge family ties.

After retirement, Swede enjoyed the opportunity to continue his joy of learning as an active participant in OLLI, a lifelong learning organization for seniors. He enjoyed teaching classes, working on committees, taking classes and interacting with his fellow students.

When not traveling or involved in OLLI, Swede enjoyed his time on the golf course, with Monday morning senior golf league at Green Meadow Golf Club being the highlight of each week during the golf season.

Swede has made many friends during his 83 years who will miss his big smile and his hearty hugs, but he will be missed most by his family. He leaves his wife, Dottie Breen Nelson; his daughter, Sonja Nelson of Greenland, NH and her husband, Michael Reardon and their children, Eilis and Liam; his daughter, Heidi Havron of Merrimack, NH, and her husband, David and their children, Connor and Ingrid; his son, Kirt Nilsson of Portland, OR, and his wife Lisa and their children, Olivia and McKenna; his brother, Kenneth Nelson of E. Bridgewater, MA, and his wife Karen and their, children Derek and Sarah; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins both here and in Sweden.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Swede at Bethany Covenant Church, Bedford, NH at a later date. For those who wish, donations in his name may be made to Bethany Covenant Church, 1 Covenant Way, Bedford, NH 03110 or OLLI at Granite State College, 25 Hall Street, Concord NH 03301. The Nelson family would like to express their thanks for the compassionate care provided by Merrimack Valley Hospice. Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of NH, Manchester. To view Swede’s Online Tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com.