Norm Nielsen

1936 - 2022

With heavy hearts our family would like to convey the passing on September 9th of our beloved Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather, Norman Nielsen. We will be having a celebration of life event at the Nevada City Elks Lodge, #518, on October 15, from 11:00AM - 4:00PM for those of you who knew Norman.

Born in Oklahoma to parents of Norweigan and Cherokee descent, "Big Norm" Nielsen's family migrated to California in 1939. During his youth, his lumberjack father moved his family often for work in the woods and Norm attended schools in Gray's Flat, Quincy, Loyalton, Woodleaf, Pollock Pines, Goodyears Bar, Oroville, and Downieville before enlisting in the Air Force in 1954 and becoming a Ground Radio Repairman. Following service in Korea and Japan, in 1957 Norm used his training and experience with radio communications to land a job as a Electronics Technician at the Stanford Research Institute. Thus began a 40-year career of exciting military science projects, international travel (often aboard small ships sent out to track Russian satellites), and a key role in the development of LIDAR (Light Imaging, Detection, and Ranging) technology.

Along the way, Norm married June Anderson, a bank teller he met in Jacksonville, Florida, and helped raise their two daughters, Cheri and Lori.

Moreover, his life wasn't all work and family responsiblities. He was often able to slip off to the mountains for a little fun with his E Clampus Vitus friends and in 2001 he became the Noble Grand Humbug of the Major William Downie Chapter 1849. He was also honored to become Commander of the Devil Mountain Brigade, the last black-powder shotgun brigade in the entire country who was the Grand Finale at parades all over Nevada and California.