Douglas Eugene Nielsen

Doug was born on June 29, 1933, in Carroll, IA to Andrew and Loriene Nielsen. His childhood was spent in Chicago, IL, Warrenton, MO, and Denver, CO along with his brothers and sister. He attended Mother of Good Council Prepatory Seminary in Normandy, MO and graduated from Regis Jesuit High School in Denver, CO in 1951.

Doug proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1952-1955. After bootcamp and radio operator training in San Diego, CA, he was deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. He attained the rank of Sargeant and received the Korean Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, and Good Conduct Medal. He returned to Camp Pendleton in 1955 to serve out his enlistment.

Upon discharge from the Marine Corps, Doug relocated back to the Denver, CO area where he met and married Barbara Shaper. Together, they welcomed four children; Julie, Laurie, Steven, and David. He later married Gladyce Powell in 1975, with whom he shared 48 years of marriage.

Doug began his civilian career in the freight industry with IML in Denver, CO and Consolidated Freightways in Seattle, WA and Billings, MT. He retired in 1992 after 25 years with Consolidated Freightways. While in Billings, Doug and Gladyce worked tirelessly on the many rental properties they had acquired. They enjoyed playing cards and actively participated in Marriage Encounter; later serving as a sponsor couple. They ultimately decided to retire in Kapaa, HI in 1993 to a beautiful home built by Doug and his brothers (with a little help from other contractors). They became members of St. Catherine Parish, where Doug was a member of the church council, a eucharistic minister, and dedicated countless hours to maintaining and beautifying the church and adjoining school. Doug also acted as the site foreman for Kamalani playground, bridge, and pavilion which was built by volunteers within the community. While in Kapaa, Doug designed and built his first “Toys for Tots” train which was featured on the Marine Corps League float in the winter parade. He received the Marine of the Year award for the detachment in 2004 and was presented with an “Outstanding Marine” statue when Doug and Gladyce decided to move back to the mainland in 2008. They often talked about how much they enjoyed the full-moon barbeques on the beach with friends.

Once back on the mainland, Doug and Gladyce called Grand Junction, CO home. They attended Immaculate Heart of Mary church, where Doug served on the pastoral council and as a eucharistic minister. He was an active member of the Knights of Columbus and proudly held the top spot for sales in the statewide NFL Sweepstakes fundraiser 3 years in a row. While in Grand Junction, Doug and Gladyce became snowbirds, spending the winters in Casa Grande, AZ. In 2021, they relocated their permanent residence to Prescott Valley, AZ.

During winters in Casa Grande, Doug and Gladyce attended St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. Doug and his friend, Ernie Wolfchief, worked on multiple construction and maintenance projects for the church, rectory, community center and school. Doug fondly remembers working alongside his fellow parishioners to renovate the old St. Anthony Church into what is now the Divine Mercy Chapel. Driving up to his home in Casa Grande, you would always find the garage door open and Doug busy with some project on his workbench. Doug continued his participation with the Knights of Columbus supporting the pancake breakfast and fundraising efforts. He was a life-time member of the VFW and built an additional two “Toys for Tots” trains for the Casa Grande and Coolidge Marine Corps League Detachments. In October 2024, Doug was able to join other veterans on an Honor Flight trip to Washington, DC to tour the war memorials; his daughters were able to join the trip as guardians.

Doug and Gladyce enjoyed many years of traveling across the globe with family and friends creating countless cherished memories. Doug was a life-long Bronco fan and always the one to beat when it came to playing train, cards, cribbage or Words with Friends. He was a daily watcher of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and Saturdays always had Lawrence Welk on the television at 4pm.

Doug is survived by his daughters, Julie Curtis, Laurie (Jon) Schad, Marcia (Stan) Sniadoski, and Cheryl Wilson; sons Steven Morrissey and David Morrissey; brothers Ron and Mickey (Gayle) Nielsen; 9 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Doug was preceded in death by his wife, Gladyce Nielsen, parents Andrew and Loreine Nielsen, daughter Terri Burton, brother William Nielsen, sister Mary Ann Nielsen, and his first wife, Barbara Morrissey.

Services will be held on November 30, 2026, at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 201 N. Picacho St. in Casa Grande, AZ 85122. Visitation will begin at 8:30 a.m., Rosary at 9:00 a.m., and funeral Mass at 9:30 a.m. A brunch for family and friends will follow the mass at Pour Therapy located at 318 N. Florence St. Ste 4, Casa Grande, AZ 85122.

A private interment will take place at Mt. View Cemetery later in the afternoon.

Donations in Doug’s memory may be made to Honor Flight AZ.