Obituary of Dewey M. Nielsen

Dewey Marshall Nielsen age 74 of Oxford, Iowa passed away peacefully on December 19th, 2020 from a combination of COVID and agent orange (exposed during his time in military service) at UIHC in Iowa City, Iowa. Dewey was born on July 13, 1946 to Wanda (Marshall) and Milton Nielsen in Rugby, ND. He graduated from Rugby High School and the University of North Dakota. He spent 4 years in the USAF and was stationed in Vietnam, Thailand and Pakistan. Dewey married the love of his life Darlene (Ill) on June 10, 1972 in St. Thomas, ND. Dewey worked with his father and brother in the family business, Rugby Creamery, until it was sold in 1978. After which he spent 8 years working for the Boy Scouts of America in Charles City, Iowa, Sedalia, Missouri and Seward, Nebraska. In 1986, Dewey found his true calling with the purchase of Sleepy Hollow Campground. He enjoyed meeting and visiting with all the campers and those from the community who would walk through his doors. He always had a project going and worked tirelessly to create memories for those who visited. Dewey was a collector, Match Box cars, Hotwheels, rocks, boulders, Coca Cola, etc. He loved bird watching, flowers, trees and anything to do with landscaping. He was an Eagle Scout and helped many young boys achieve their Eagle Scout awards. Dewey is survived by his wife of 48 years, Darlene; his son, Anthony (Erin) Nielsen of Chicago, IL; his daughter, Kayla (Bryan) Nehring of Marion, IA; and three wonderful grandchildren, Kaiden Nielsen, Hadley Nielsen and Kharl Nehring; his twin brother, Al (Bev) Nielsen, Horace, ND; sister, Nancy (Laurance) Heger, Underwood, ND; brothers-in-law, Jim Meehan of Chazy, NY and Carlton (Judy) Ill of Cavalier, ND; sister-in-law, Marian Reinert of Millington, MI and extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Alyssa; parents, sister, Ann Meehan; sisters-in-law, Mary Ann Gangelhoff and Doris Henry Rustan; and brother-in-law, Charles Ill. Services celebrating Dewey’s life will be held at 11am Saturday, June 12, 2021, at Christ The King Lutheran Church in Iowa City, and can also be viewed through the livestream tab at this website. There will be a time of food and fellowship to follow at the Sleepy Hollow Campground near Oxford. (Please register at the office upon arrival) Graveside services with military honors will be held at 1pm Monday June 14th. at the Persilla Watts Cemetery in Rugby, ND. To share a thought, memory or condolence with his family please visit the funeral home website @ www.gayandciha.com.