Nelson (Nels) Richardson

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Nelson Burdick Richardson died July 9th, 2023.

He was Born in Wahpeton, ND on November 7th, 1945, to Adelyn and William Richardson. He attended school at St. Johns in Wahpeton and Dunn School in Santa Ynez Valley, California. He spent extended periods of time at the New Camaldoli Hermitage at Big Sur, California and with the Trappists at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky. He attended college at Amherst University, Rhode Island School of Design and New York School of Visual Arts. His interest in music led him to own and play several medieval instruments and into translating ancient musical notation into modern score. He was a staff writer for Poets & Writer’s magazine and later taught computer coding at New York University, Baruch College, and New York Life Insurance Company. In 2008, he and his husband, Denis, moved to Fargo where they were active in First Congregational United Church of Christ, the LGBTQ and arts communities. As Nelson’s vision diminished, he engaged several individuals who read and discussed books with him. He was keenly interested in religious, economic, and political history and theory. His book selections would be considered complex and esoteric.

He met his life partner Denis in 1986. They were married in 2012. For the past few years, Denis and Nelson toured the area with daily drives, listening to audio books and enjoying coffee. He also enjoyed spirited debates of the finer points of just about anything but especially the Bible of which he was an accomplished student.

Nelson leaves behind his husband of many decades, Denis Timm Richardson, and siblings Katherine “Kiki” [Moussa] Sidibe of Albuquerque, NM, Thomas [Gay] Dering of Las Cruces, NM, Rane Richardson of Albuquerque, NM, Joseph [Muriel] Richardson of Fargo, and Nancy [Les] Brennan of Frazee, MN along with several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Ellen [Fred] Petrelli of New York and his stepmother Betty Richardson.

Nelson was predeceased by his parents Adelyn and William Richardson and brother-in-law Carse [Rane] McDaniel.

Services will be held on Monday, August 7th at 2PM at Boulgers Funeral Home in Fargo, ND.