Col. Arthur A. Nelson Jr

- Col. Arthur A. Nelson, Jr., USMC, Ret. 80, of 230 Tuckerman Middletown, died Saturday, July 13, 2002 at Forest Farm Health Care Center Middletown, RI.He was the husband of Marion Bailey Nelson. Born in Newport, RI on August 14, 1921, he was the son of the late Arthur A. Nelson Sr. and the late Mary Lillian Greenfelder Nelson. Col. Nelson served in the US Marine Corps for 30 years, retiring in 1972. During his career he served in WWII with the 4th Marine Raiders and the Sixth Marine Division, participating in the Battles of Guam and Guadalcanal. He was also a member of the first landing wave of the Battle of Okinawa. His service continued through the Korean War with the 7th Marine Division and the Vietnam War with the 9th Marine Division. Through his career he served in many different positions including an intelligence position in Germany and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, DC. His last assignment was as Editor of the Naval War College Review here in Newport. Throughout his service he received many commendations and medals, including two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star with a V, a Presidential Unit Citation, a Legion of Merit, and two Navy Commendations with V, among others. After his military service he worked as a Real Estate appraiser with his son locally. He was a former member of the Rotary Club, a member of the Wanumetonomy Country Club, and a member of the RI Real Estate Association. Col. Nelson graduated from URI in 1941 through an accelerated program to receive his degree in accounting. In addition to his wife Marion Nelson of Middletown, RI, he is survived by two sons Arthur A. Nelson III of Austin, TX, and Paul Nelson of Middletown, RI, a brother John Robert Nelson of Virginia Beach, VA, and 4 grandchildren Brett Y. Nelson and Conor A. Nelson both of Middletown, RI, and Arthur A. Nelson IV of Ft. Bragg, SC, and Amanda Gray of Austin, TX. His funeral will be held Thursday, July 18, at 10:00 AM in St. Columba Berkeley Memorial Chapel, Vaucluse Avenue, Middletown.Burial will be in Trinity Cemetery in Portsmouth, RI. Donations may be made in his memory to Visiting Nurse Service of Newport and Bristol Counties- Hospice 1184 East Main Rd Portsmouth, RI 02871.