Gerald D. Nelson passed away on December 25, 2013 at age 78. He had recently suffered a stroke, and lived his final days residing at Hospice of the Comforter in Altamonte Springs, Florida. He was born on a farm near Newman Grove, Nebraska, on December 31, 1934. He was a graduate of Technical High School in Omaha, Nebraska. He served in active duty in the United States Army in 1952 and 1953, and in the US Army Reserve until 1961. He was a member of American Legion Post 53 in Sanford. He was employed for 42 years by United States Cold Storage, retiring as Senior Executive Vice-President and Regional Manager in 1996. He married Donna Conley on September 2, 1962, and together they celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary this past September. Gerald died peacefully on Christmas Day, with his wife, his sons, his daughters-in-law and his grandchildren at his bedside. Gerald is survived by his wife Donna, his son Don and daughter-in-law Debbie, his son Tom and daughter-in-law Nancy, his grandchildren Jared, Tyler, Julia, Laura and David, and by his sister Virginia Anderson, who lives in Nebraska. He was preceded in death by his parents Bertha and David Nelson, and by his sisters Doris Nelson and Delores Hill. Visitation will be at Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home at Oaklawn Park Cemetery in Sanford, Florida on Friday, January 3rd from 5-7 pm. A funeral service will be held at Baldwin-Fairchild on Saturday, January 4th, at 11 am. A graveside service with military honors will immediately follow at Oaklawn Park Cemetery in Sanford. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages a donation to Smile Train (www.smiletrain.org), to Patriot Paws (http;//patriotpaws.org) or to Pet Rescue by Judy (www.petrescuebyjudy.com).