Lon Nielsen

Lon Edward Nielsen

October 16, 1951 ~ July 19, 2017

Lon Edward Nielsen passed away July 19, 2017, after a brief illness.  He was born October 16, 1951, in Provo, Utah, to Edward L. “Ted” and VerNell Cook Nielsen.  He spent his early years in Springville until the family moved to Orem in 1958.  He attended Geneva Elementary and had wonderful teachers who guided him and gave his parents support with his special needs.  With them he found success even in the smallest of victories.  Lon was born deaf and later diagnosed with Autism Spectrum.  He was shy and always quiet and found it difficult to make friends, but he had family and neighbors who loved him and protected him.  He adored his older sister, Saundra, who had polio.  He was very protective of her and not always willing to let others push her wheelchair.  We have many photos and memories of these two as children, always together.  Lon had beautiful, almost white, blond hair, blue eyes, and dimples.  He loved a cheesy joke and story; the cheesier the better.  He loved to practice his handwriting; the bigger the pad of paper and the more pens he had, the happier he was.  He loved science fiction movies, Christmas, and ice cream.  He really loved food and money.  He didn’t know how they worked but he loved them.

The last several years he had health problems that put even more limitations on his mobility and caused him to be confused and frustrated.  Caring for him these last years required much patience and we know that our sister, Raquel, had many challenges while she cared for him.  We are grateful for her care and all the time that she gave him.  She really went all out to give him fantastic birthdays and Christmases.

He was preceded in death by his father, Ted, who passed away in 2014, and his sister, Saundra, who died in 1960.  He is survived by his mother, VerNell, who has always been devoted to him and his special needs.  His siblings, Lori and husband Charlie, Brian and wife Julie, Jamie and wife Lisa, Raquel and husband Sean.  He has many nieces and nephews and their children who love him very much. They are: Jared, Ashley, Brian James, Connor, Ramsey, Riley, Hannah, Emily, Casey, Taylor, Cory, Thomas and Patrick.   Lon was a noble son of God, and knew that he was loved by his Father in Heaven and the Savior.  His testimony of the Plan of Salvation was a simple one and his reunion with his loved ones will be joyous.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, July 25, 2017 at 11:00 am at the Garden 5th Ward, 725 North 600 West, Pleasant Grove, Utah. Friends and family may visit from 9:30-10:30 am prior to services at the ward.  Interment will take place in the Evergreen Cemetery, Springville, Utah where he will be laid to rest next to his father and sister. Services have been entrusted to Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd., Ogden, Utah.