John's Obituary
John Norman Nelson was born on June 2, 1937, at Columbus Hospital in Great Falls, Montana, and died of complications of Parkinson’s disease at Great Falls Benefis Hospital on November 11, 2022. John was born with severe handicaps including almost total hearing loss and severe speech impairment. He did not get a hearing aid until late in high school.
In the fourth grade, John transferred from the Montana School for the Deaf and Blind to St. Thomas School, Great Falls, Montana. Despite his small stature and handicaps he became a good athlete. He was a fast runner and played shortstop in baseball. Later in high school, he also taught himself pole vaulting. In grade school, John had many hobbies including scientific interests in astronomy and chemistry; the latter anticipating his later career as a laboratory cytologist.
As a student at Great Falls Central Catholic High School, his prodigious abilities in music and visual art became evident. His mother Irene, a church organist, taught John vocal music, piano, and organ. He began oil painting on his own and taught himself many difficult piano scores including George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and Claude Debussy’s “Children’s Corner Suite.” In 1954, he became the pianist in John Huber’s Jazz Quartet until his 1956 graduation from high school. On the side, he became a skilled pool player, and continued to play improvisational jazz until the last months of his life.
After high school graduation, John decided to study art, and in 1958 was accepted into the prestigious Chicago Art Institute where he studied oil painting and watercolor techniques. He left the Institute in 1961, and worked as a commercial artist in Ohio for a year but decided against a business career in art. His lifelong interest in science reemerged, and he returned to Montana to study for his B.S. degree at the College of Great Falls. He graduated in 1965 and went to New York City for six months specialized training in laboratory cytology.
In 1970, John married Joyce Legowik of Great Falls, Montana in San Francisco. They remained in San Francisco where John worked as a cytologist. During his time in San Francisco, he taught himself flamenco guitar, and traveled with Joyce to Spain to purchase his own specially handmade guitar. In 1974, he and Joyce moved to Richland, Washington where John directed a cytology laboratory. John and Joyce divorced in 1978.
In the early 1980s, John married Betty Johnson. After several years, they moved to Georgia where John continued to work in cytology. John moved to Billings, Montana in 1987, and later he and Betty were divorced. In Billings, John continued his profession as cytologist at St. Vincent Hospital until he retired and moved to Great Falls, Montana to be close to his sister Beverly. Throughout his medical career and during retirement, John continued to play jazz and perfect his watercolor painting.
Even without his handicaps, John’s accomplishments would be extraordinary, but one had to know him personally to fully appreciate his engaging and antic sense of humor and astounding will to master whatever he set his mind to. In everyday life, he was consistently kind and gentle toward almost everyone, especially, to animals and was acutely aware of the plight of the disadvantaged. His handicaps also produced a pugnacious stubbornness about maintaining his privacy and independence. His vulnerable loneliness challenged him to fully open his private sphere, and he related best by generously sharing his art and music with others.
John was deeply spiritual as a professed Roman Catholic, but he was always tolerant and interested in different beliefs. He was that rare person who found harmony between his spiritual faith and a scientific approach to life.
In his last years of struggling with Parkinson’s he had the great fortune to receive the care and assistance of the John and Julie Borgreen family. Julie had recognized John’s many abilities in her childhood and was always there to help him when he became disabled from Parkinson’s disease. The Benefis medical staff are also to be thanked for their consistent kindness and care for John over the years.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Irene and Clarence Nelson and sisters, Beverly and Carol. He is survived by his stepdaughter, Teresa Johnson and several nephews and nieces including, Kathy Zamagne, who graciously assisted John in his final days.
A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 23, 2023, at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Condolences may be mailed to Kathleen Zamagne, 31 East Pendragon Dr, Belfair, WA 98528.
