Earle Bruce Nelson, aged 68, slipped from this life on July 25, 2015, at Rowan Court, where he had been a resident for almost two years. He was the younger son of Waldo Y. and Phila M. (Edmands) Nelson, born at Cottage Hospital in Haverhill, New Hampshire, on October 19, 1946.
Bruce grew up on his father’s dairy farm in Newbury, Vermont, participating in Boy Scouts and attending schools there, graduating valedictorian of the Newbury High School Class of 1965. He continued his education at the University of Vermont, where he majored in geography and was a member of Phi Mu Delta. After graduation he began working toward a master’s degree in Latin American Area Studies but had to end that pursuit, three credits shy of a degree, because of his wife’s illness. In 1982 he earned an MS in counseling from St. Michael’s College.
His 35-year career with the Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation began as a houseparent at Wasson Hall in Waterbury. He served in many voc rehab positions, lastly organization and operations analyst for the division, but the position he found most fulfilling was that of counselor. Bruce reluctantly retired in 2006 after a stroke.
Bruce enjoyed hearing and making music all his life, singing and playing the piano and saxophone. “Up with People” invited him to go on tour while he was in high school; Bruce preferred to complete his studies.
While at UVM Bruce worked at the Pringle Herbarium under the supervision of botanist and minister Frank C. Seymour. He met the boss’s daughter, Catherine, and married her on June 21, 1969, at College Street Congregational Church in Burlington, Vermont, with Rev. Seymour officiating at the service. He also traveled to Nicaragua with his father-in-law on two occasions, collecting plant specimens and observing plazas for his Latin American studies.
Bruce and Catherine made their first home in South Burlington, moving to Montpelier following his hiring by the state. In 1976, they moved to Duxbury, Vermont, where they have resided since then.
In addition to houseparenting duties, Bruce’s first job included teaching ceramics to occupants of the locked ward at Vermont State Hospital. He and his wife quickly learned and enjoyed making ceramics, opening their own studio, The Kiln Sitter, in Duxbury. Bruce was active in the Vermont Ceramic League, serving in various positions including chairman of the annual ceramic show.
When Catherine became active in the Lupus Foundation of America, Vermont Chapter, Bruce joined her, serving on the board of directors, as treasurer and as walk-a-thon chairman. He was always supportive of her during her illness and surgeries, a more than attentive husband.
Bruce’s hobbies included his vegetable garden, canning its produce and making assorted jams, jellies and condiments. He began collecting stamps during his recovery from his first brain tumor and continued to do so the rest of his life. He tried oil painting with instruction from Roy Earl, a member of the Barre Palleteers. He enjoyed photography as a teenager and developed his skill, especially in photographing nature.
His and Catherine’s children were cats, most notably Stanley, whom he dearly loved and, most recently, feisty Gracie.
He was a member of the Duxbury Historical Society; First Congregational Church, Newbury, Vermont; Lupus Foundation of America, Vermont Chapter; Phi Mu Delta; and the Vermont State Employees Association.
He will be remembered for his strong will, wonderful sense of humor, artistic and musical talent and true ability to care for everyone he knew. He is survived by his wife; a sister, Sandra Bartlett of Webster, New Hampshire; brother, Waldo W. Nelson (Eva) of Waldorf, Maryland; brother-in-law, Robert L. Seymour (Pauline Nolte) of Chicago, Illinois; former sister-in-law, Jeanne Butterfield of Walnut Creek, California; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
His family is grateful for the care he received at Rowan Court, for the Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice staff and volunteers and for friends Fred Letourneau and Rachel Cogbill.
Memorial services will be held from Perkins-Parker Funeral Home in Waterbury on August 6, 2015, at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bruce’s memory may be made to the American Lung Association, VT Chapter, 372 Hurricane Lane, Suite101, Williston, VT 05495 (www.lung.org), Rowan Court Nursing Home, Patient Activities Fund, 378 Prospect Street, Barre, VT 05641, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org), UVM Medical Center (www.uvmhealth.org), Central Vermont Humane Society, P.O. Box 687, Montpelier, VT 05601 (www.centralvermonthumane.org), or a charity of one’s choice. To send online condolences visit www.perkinsparker.com.
