John “Jack” Arnold Nelson

John “Jack” Arnold Nelson

1938 ~ 2023

John “Jack” Arnold Nelson, 85, was born Jan 30, 1938, and died Oct 3, 2023 due to natural causes. All five of his children were at his bedside. He was born to Arnold Carl Nelson and Marjorie Rosamond Wykes in Ogden, Utah, where he spent his childhood. A younger sister, Carol, joined the family in 1940, and they were good friends the remainder of their lives. In 1960, he was called to serve in the Oslo, Norway mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and upon returning, attended and graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in political science. 

Having a spirit of adventure, he was drawn to and worked in various interesting jobs over the years. These included fighting fires and managing land for the Forest Service after high school, enlisting in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper, working as a private detective, and filling the role of security officer for the tech company, Novell. Most notably, he worked as a Special Agent for the FBI for 22 years. His FBI career started with receiving a personal telegram from J. Edgar Hoover inviting him to join the Bureau in 1966.  

On Sept 6, 1966, in the Salt Lake LDS temple, he married his eternal sweetheart, Carol Elizabeth Britt, a fiery Southern girl. They raised their five children in Texas and Montana, before settling in Highland in 1986. They loved to travel together and explore new places.  As one of their adventures, they served in the Prague, Czech Republic mission. They were devoted to each other for 50 years before she died in 2016 from cancer.

John was a lover of family, dogs, reading, fishing, and camping – especially in Yellowstone. He enjoyed various callings, including everything from Branch president to ward librarian. He was a quiet man who loved laughing at a good joke- he truly thought most things were funny. We will miss him dearly, but are happy he and Carol are once again reunited. 

He is survived by his five children: Jason (Ange), Christian (Holly), Heather, Holly Dotson (Jeff), and Jared (Stefani), 22 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife Carol Nelson, his parents, and sister Carol Hunt. The family gives a special thanks to the staff and friends at River Meadows in Alpine, the nurses at the Charleston in Cedar Hills, and the staff at A+ Hospice Care. 

Funeral services will be held on Friday, Oct 13, 2023 at 11:00 am in the Cedar Hills West Stake Center, located at 4580 West Cedar Hills Drive, Cedar Hills, Utah. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Friday morning from 9:30-10:30 am prior to services at the church. Interment will follow at the Highland City Cemetery.