Son of Alfred Christian and Hazel (McVitty) Nielson.
After serving honorably in the Army during WWII, he earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Ohio State University, moved to Durham, and obtained an Associate Professorship in the Department of Sociology at UNH where he was also the Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts until his retirement in 1986, when he was awarded emeritus status both as a sociologist and as a dean. He then became a long-time member of the Active Retirement Association.
Mel always felt that he was born into a Norman Rockwell America, and he carried that simple joy with him throughout his life. As an avid Boy Scout, he attended the National Jamboree in Washington, DC, 1937. In scouting, he acquired a love of the outdoors. He and his wife climbed all the 4,000 foot mountains in New England and were active in four Volksporting clubs.
He enjoyed meeting and conversing with people, and that communal spirit led to his co-founding Durham’s annual Leif Ericson Day Parade. Years earlier, he and others founded Durham’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. And in the early 60s he was a member of a state commission charged with turning Hampton Beach into family-oriented “Happy Hampton.”
His family remembers him as a kind and unselfish man who was always there for others. His generous spirit and witty observations on humanity touched all who knew him.
Mel was the beloved husband (58 years) of Elizabeth Ann (Thomas), who survives him. Other family members include his two loving children Christina Morse and her husband Robert, of Standish, Maine, and Christopher Nielson and his wife, Margaret, of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He was the cherished grandfather of Kathryn Haworth, Timothy Morse, Mary Fortin, and Amy Meuchel as well as step-grandfather to Amy Grace, Kristen Dercole, and Carly Wagner. He also leaves behind 5 great-grandchildren, 5 nieces and 1 nephew.
After serving honorably in the Army during WWII, he earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Ohio State University, moved to Durham, and obtained an Associate Professorship in the Department of Sociology at UNH where he was also the Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts until his retirement in 1986, when he was awarded emeritus status both as a sociologist and as a dean. He then became a long-time member of the Active Retirement Association.
Mel always felt that he was born into a Norman Rockwell America, and he carried that simple joy with him throughout his life. As an avid Boy Scout, he attended the National Jamboree in Washington, DC, 1937. In scouting, he acquired a love of the outdoors. He and his wife climbed all the 4,000 foot mountains in New England and were active in four Volksporting clubs.
He enjoyed meeting and conversing with people, and that communal spirit led to his co-founding Durham’s annual Leif Ericson Day Parade. Years earlier, he and others founded Durham’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. And in the early 60s he was a member of a state commission charged with turning Hampton Beach into family-oriented “Happy Hampton.”
His family remembers him as a kind and unselfish man who was always there for others. His generous spirit and witty observations on humanity touched all who knew him.
Mel was the beloved husband (58 years) of Elizabeth Ann (Thomas), who survives him. Other family members include his two loving children Christina Morse and her husband Robert, of Standish, Maine, and Christopher Nielson and his wife, Margaret, of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He was the cherished grandfather of Kathryn Haworth, Timothy Morse, Mary Fortin, and Amy Meuchel as well as step-grandfather to Amy Grace, Kristen Dercole, and Carly Wagner. He also leaves behind 5 great-grandchildren, 5 nieces and 1 nephew.
Son of Alfred Christian and Hazel (McVitty) Nielson.
After serving honorably in the Army during WWII, he earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Ohio State University, moved to Durham, and obtained an Associate Professorship in the Department of Sociology at UNH where he was also the Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts until his retirement in 1986, when he was awarded emeritus status both as a sociologist and as a dean. He then became a long-time member of the Active Retirement Association.
Mel always felt that he was born into a Norman Rockwell America, and he carried that simple joy with him throughout his life. As an avid Boy Scout, he attended the National Jamboree in Washington, DC, 1937. In scouting, he acquired a love of the outdoors. He and his wife climbed all the 4,000 foot mountains in New England and were active in four Volksporting clubs.
He enjoyed meeting and conversing with people, and that communal spirit led to his co-founding Durham’s annual Leif Ericson Day Parade. Years earlier, he and others founded Durham’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. And in the early 60s he was a member of a state commission charged with turning Hampton Beach into family-oriented “Happy Hampton.”
His family remembers him as a kind and unselfish man who was always there for others. His generous spirit and witty observations on humanity touched all who knew him.
Mel was the beloved husband (58 years) of Elizabeth Ann (Thomas), who survives him. Other family members include his two loving children Christina Morse and her husband Robert, of Standish, Maine, and Christopher Nielson and his wife, Margaret, of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He was the cherished grandfather of Kathryn Haworth, Timothy Morse, Mary Fortin, and Amy Meuchel as well as step-grandfather to Amy Grace, Kristen Dercole, and Carly Wagner. He also leaves behind 5 great-grandchildren, 5 nieces and 1 nephew.
After serving honorably in the Army during WWII, he earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Ohio State University, moved to Durham, and obtained an Associate Professorship in the Department of Sociology at UNH where he was also the Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts until his retirement in 1986, when he was awarded emeritus status both as a sociologist and as a dean. He then became a long-time member of the Active Retirement Association.
Mel always felt that he was born into a Norman Rockwell America, and he carried that simple joy with him throughout his life. As an avid Boy Scout, he attended the National Jamboree in Washington, DC, 1937. In scouting, he acquired a love of the outdoors. He and his wife climbed all the 4,000 foot mountains in New England and were active in four Volksporting clubs.
He enjoyed meeting and conversing with people, and that communal spirit led to his co-founding Durham’s annual Leif Ericson Day Parade. Years earlier, he and others founded Durham’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. And in the early 60s he was a member of a state commission charged with turning Hampton Beach into family-oriented “Happy Hampton.”
His family remembers him as a kind and unselfish man who was always there for others. His generous spirit and witty observations on humanity touched all who knew him.
Mel was the beloved husband (58 years) of Elizabeth Ann (Thomas), who survives him. Other family members include his two loving children Christina Morse and her husband Robert, of Standish, Maine, and Christopher Nielson and his wife, Margaret, of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He was the cherished grandfather of Kathryn Haworth, Timothy Morse, Mary Fortin, and Amy Meuchel as well as step-grandfather to Amy Grace, Kristen Dercole, and Carly Wagner. He also leaves behind 5 great-grandchildren, 5 nieces and 1 nephew.
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