Robert Carl (R.C.) Nelson, 96, passed away at the Kittson Memorial Healthcare Center in Hallock, Friday, March 27, 2015. R.C. was born April 25, 1918, three months after his parents, Bill and Ida (Teal) Nelson, and their two children (aged eleven and seven), had moved to Hallock from Crookston. Bill had taken a job managing the Kittson Implement, a business operated by the Kiene Farm. The Nelsons hadn't found a house to live in yet, so they were residing in a boarding house on the north side of Hallock. Seven days after R.C. was born, his mother died from complications. Bill eventually found a house on the south side of town, and a woman R.C. later referred to as Mother Olson, helped with little Bobby as Bill and the other children settled in. Fifteen months later, Bill married another Ida: Ida Ryden of Kennedy. Bill subsequently left the Kittson Implement and started his own. Hallock was a small but bustling town in the twenties and early thirties, despite the depression. During the summers R.C. and his friends played ball, shot marbles, fished for walleyes below the old dam, and "coasted" wagons (one leg in, one leg out) from the south edge of Hallock to Taft's Cafe "downtown." In the winter they skated at the outdoor rink (with girls whenever possible). They played hockey at the rink too, but they also played street hockey wearing shoes and using horse droppings as pucks since pucks were hard to find. Nobody wanted to be goalie. R.C. also enjoyed harnessing the family dog, Brownie, to a sled so he could pull him all over town. During high school years, R.C. played basketball for the school team and hockey on the town team which played Canadian clubs as well as Minnesota club teams (an indoor rink was built in 1933 and it was said to be one of the nicest in the state). Like most of his friends he enjoyed movies and dances at the Grand Theater. During these high school years he developed a crush on a local girl, Irene (Renee) Larson, whose parents owned the theater. Renee handled the popcorn machine. Family legend has it that R.C. was first attracted to Renee because she smelled of Jolly Time popcorn. Another theory is he got his popcorn free of charge. A romance developed. After graduating from high school in 1935, R.C. spent one full year at Macalester College in St. Paul, where he was a first line forward on the hockey team. He came home for the summer then returned to college in the fall. By his own admission, R.C.'s only real interest at college was the hockey team. He never enjoyed studying and his grades showed it. That winter the dean suggested he might find better things to do, despite his hockey prowess, so he quit school and he and his roommate hitch-hiked to Florida. Together they took a job caring for an elderly woman with various physical disabilities. This was a 24 hours a day job so each took twelve. That gave them each some time to enjoy the beach. When R.C.'s father became ill later that year, R.C. returned to Hallock to take over operation of the implement business. Bill had two partners then, as he and Ida had wanted to retire and enjoy traveling in a travel trailer. But Bill's heart began to give out. By 1939, R.C. had bought out the two partners and his father; and, at age 21, he owned the implement. In January of 1940 R.C.'s father died at the age of 55. In July, R.C. married Irene "Renee" Larson. They had their first child, Duffy, in August of 1942. After making some changes at the Nelson Implement, R.C. felt he could leave the operation so he enlisted in Navy. He served as a Seabee in the Aleutian Islands. After his service, R.C. returned to Hallock where he continued to operate the Nelson Implement. In 1946 he and Renee had their second boy, Danny. In 1949 R.C. sold the business and took a position at the Northwestern State Bank in Hallock. R.C. became executive officer six months later. In January of 1950 the current bank vice president, A. L. Wikholm, announced his retirement. R.C. was elected to take his place and to serve on the board of directors. In 1952 a third son, Bob Jr., was born. Over the next twenty years, R.C.'s interest in the bank grew until eventually he was the principal stockholder. He served in that capacity until 1969 when he sold the bank. Over the years, with the support of his wife, R.C. had been a mover and shaker. He had many accomplishments on behalf of local farmers and the community. R.C. was a life-time member of the First Presbyterian Church in Hallock and served as a trustee and elder. He served as Kittson County Civil Defense Chairman, Kittson County Fair Board Secretary, K. C. Jury Commissioner and War Bond Chairman. He was Chairman of the Two River Watershed Board, Director of the Kennedy Development Corporation and the Kittson County Historical Society and county Hospital Association. He was a Hallock councilman, secretary to the Hallock Scholarship Association. R.C. was president of the Hallock Lions Club and the Oak Ridge Golf Club. Outside of the county, he served as a director of the Citizens State Bank of Roseau and East Grand Forks, and the State Bank of McGregor. R.C. had a great interest in farming. As a younger man he became involved with cattle and sheep. Throughout his years he bought and sold farm land, eventually building up a sizable acreage. One of the draws to this interest was working with the farmers, and he developed a close partnership with first, Tony and Sophie Olsonawski, and then with their sons, Jerry and Dennis and their wives and families. R.C. worked hard for his community and the people in it, but he played hard too. He loved to hunt, especially with Renee and a good golden retriever. He also enjoyed the many years of deer hunting at the "McKinley Hunting Lodge." He loved to fish, and play golf and tennis. He finally served his last tennis ball, an ace down the line, at the ripe old age of 89. He knew every card game in the book; and, if you wanted to beat him, you'd have to earn it. In 1972, R.C. and Renee sold their home in Hallock. They began to spend their winters in Arizona, where Renee's sister lived. They spent their summers at Ballard's Resort in Lake of the Woods until they developed a piece of ground on the river. They still spent much of the summer visiting in Hallock as Renee's mother lived there for several more years; they still had many friends, and close ties to the First Presbyterian Church, and they still had the farm, now called Minnzona Farms. Throughout the next twenty years they also travelled the nation in a motorhome, visiting their children first in central Minnesota and Texas, and later as the children spread out, in Texas, Tennessee and Arizona. They also took trips to Europe and Africa. But in 1995, Renee developed a medical issue related to amnesia. Foreseeing future problems, R.C. sold the house they'd built on the Rainy River, and he and Renee began spending summers in Hallock. In the summer of 2001 Renee suffered a debilitating stroke. The following spring they gave up the Arizona residence and moved "back home." They bought a house near the hospital in Hallock. R.C. had no family nearby after he left Arizona but he had his church-community and the people of Hallock and Kittson County, people he described as "salt of the earth." R.C. took care of Renee at home as long as he could but in 2003 he knew he couldn't do it any longer and that fall the family moved Renee into the Kittson County Healthcare Center. R.C. spent the next six years "helping" the care center staff lovingly care for his wife. During the years of his wife's illness, R.C. continued to play tennis and golf. He was blessed to have friends who took him to Sioux hockey and basketball games. He was invited out for suppers. Sunday Church services helped to strengthen him; the fellowship there spirited him. He was never much good with a washing machine. And his only culinary claim to fame was thin, tasty, silver-dollar-sized pancakes. He needed help cooking meals, cleaning his house, and washing clothes. Joanne Quiner, a friend who was also part of the tennis group, cleaned houses in Lancaster and Hallock. She began cleaning R.C.'s. She also sat with Renee some evenings so R.C. could "feel right" about going to a basketball or hockey game. In 2008 one of R.C.'s most cherished moments took place. That summer he was asked to be the Grand Marshal of the Back Home Days parade. At the age of ninety, he rode the entire route standing up in the back of a Motel T Ford that was newer than he was. Renee died in November 2009. They had known each other since grade school and had been married for sixty-nine years. Watching his wife fail and suffer for fourteen years had left R.C. bereft and confused. He, too, began to fade. Once again the community of friends gathered around and helped him work through his loneliness. During this time, R.C.'s friendship with Joanne grew. When it became clear that R.C. would need special attention to stay home, his family asked Joanne if she would be willing to move in and care for him. When R.C. could no longer travel on his own, she helped him fly to Tennessee, Arizona and Washington to visit family. Finally R.C.'s disabilities became too much for Joanne to handle and R.C. moved into the care center where their loving friendship continued during the few remaining months of R.C.'s life. R.C. is survived by three sons: Duffy (Mary) Nelson, Gatlinburg, Tenn., Daniel Nelson, Tucson, AZ, and Bob (Peggy) Nelson, Jr., Tempe, AZ; by seven grandchildren: Julie Nelson, Moose Lake, Minn., Bill (Cynthia) Nelson, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, John (Sofia) Nelson, San Marcos, Texas, Andrew (Michelle) Nelson, Fort Worth, Texas, Thomas (Jessica) McCall, Chandler, AZ, Laura (Brian) McCall, Jackson, WY, and Amanda (Kevin) McCall, Boulder, Co., and nine great grandchildren, and one great, great, grandchild. R.C. was proceeded in death by his wife, Irene, his parents, William and Ida (Teal), his stepmother, Ida (Ryden), his sister, Grace Lewis, and brother, Don. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 18th, at the First Presbyterian Church of Hallock. Visitation begins at 1 p.m. Reverend Marge Landwehr will preside. Interment will be at Greenwood Cemetery, Hallock, following the service. Music will be provided by Diane Youngren, organist. Vocals by Laurie Pietruszewski, Denise Blomquist, Val Blomquist, Michelle Blomquist and Morgan Blomquist. Honorary casket bearers are Jerry Olsonawski, Lee Pemberton, Roland Larter, Allan Ray Gustafson, Joe Bouvette, Dan Youngren, Mike Quiner, and Scott Klein. A military flag presentation will be accorded by the Hallock American Legion.