Orlean L. Nelson
1916-2007

Funeral services were held last week in Toledo for Leelanau County native Orlean L. Nelson who died March 1 in Ohio. He was 90.

He was born in May 22, 1916, to Peter and Nellie Nelson. His wife of 66 years, Margaret, survives.

He attended grade school at the Starr School on Overby and Schomberg roads and graduated from Leland High School. He worked for the George Scheck Funeral Home in Leland and drove heavy equipment for a contractor who built the bridge over the Lake Leelanau Narrows. He then worked on a Great Lakes freighter which led him to Toledo where he worked for the Standard Oil Refinery, retiring in 1978. He was an active member of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Ohio and was a 32nd degree Mason.

He is also survived by his brother, Herbert (Martie) Nelson of Lake Leelanau; sisters, Jane Witkop and May (Richard) Purvis of Traverse City; and many nieces and nephews.