Birth date: Mar 30, 1943 Death date: Oct 1, 2020
Raymond Eugene Nelson, 77, of Boca Raton passed away on October 1st, 2020 with two of his daughters by his side. He was born March 30, 1943 in Atlanta, Georgia to Raymond and Edna (Bock) Nelson. While Raymond was an only child, h Read Obituary
Of all my memories of Ray, the sweetest are those spent with family. He was always at his most joyful when surrounded by his family. Whether it was the trips to Disney and around Florida with Jackie and Kelly, visiting Dana, Charlie and his granddaughters in North Carolina, the Joneses vacationing in Boca Raton, or visiting Dru, Charlene, Sierra, Aiden and Kennedy in San Francisco, this is when he was most alive and vigorous - a big smile on his face and his heart bursting with pride. He was dearly loved by his many friends who encouraged him to visit often, and some have greeted him on the other side with arms wide. I'm so grateful to have these memories of him and with him during our time together. I will think fondly of him whenever I see an old Porsche or vintage motorcycle, eat a Krispy Kreme donut, or watch a Gator game. My life was made so much richer and more interesting thanks to the love of this wonderful man. D.B.
Ray made an impact on many lives.
I met him about 20 years ago when I did my first project at FAU. I drove up to that first meeting on a motorcycle and from that day we were friends.
We clicked when he found out my first car was a clunky little British sports car and my second a BMW, both of which were trouble, but ray loved things that were a little troublesome. It was in his nature to appreciate what made them unique. I think we would all agree that he was that way when he picked friends too.
Many years after we met I met my wife who is Brazilian and they became fast friends and when we were all together he constantly did anything he could do to make her feel he appreciated her and her culture. We were all best friends.
He was a man of influence and was respected by all that knew him professionally.
As much as could be Ray was funny and helpful.
He didn't have a lot of patience for ignorance and did not suffer fools.
He could really be a butthead some times and yet his advice and frankness always stopped me in my tracks and taught me.
These past years he suffered from a lot of things that really tried his patience so I always tried to be patient with him.
He was what I considered my best friend and there is no way to express the things he did for me and my family that have helped me even to this day.
Thank you Ray.
I will never forget our trek from Hialeah, Florida, to San Diego, California, on a 250cc Bultaco Metralla dirt bike. We camped every night. It was when we were outside of Huston, Texas, in a thunder storm with our rain coats in shreds that I finally asked, How did you talk me into this? Thankfully we made it safe and sound. It ended up with our moving to San Diego. The best thing out of relationship was our children, Dru, and Dana.
