David Nelson

Dave Nelson Obituary

Dave Nelson was a true Skagit County Native. He was born Augst 4, 1939 in Mt Vernon and spent his early years living with his mother and grandparents, Fred and Ella (Pa & Ma) Rose on Swan Road. He moved to Burlington when his mother remarried and graduated from Burlington—Edison in 1958.

He married and started a family shortly after High School, moved back to Mt Vernon and went to work in a Chevron station south of town. An opportunity developed and he took over management of the Chevron Station at College Way & Hwy 99. Through hard work and exceptional customer service he grew the station into one of the most successful stations in western Washington. Progress saw the construction of I-5 which demolished his service station. Opportunity knocked once again and he was able to move to his grandfather Nelson’s homestead on Cockerham Island allowing him to expand his resources for his growing family as well as his herd of horses and cattle. He also successfully obtained his realtor license and began selling farmland. But now timing was not in his favor and as interest rates in the early 80’s rose toward 20% sales became nonexistent. With mouths to feed and livestock to support he stumbled into a chance to take over a business trimming hooves for the local dairymen of the local counties. The commute from the island and repeated flooding from the Skagit river motivated him to relocate once again. As fate would have it, his grandfather, Pa had passed and Dave moved back to the farm of his youth on Swan Rd.

He was heavily influenced by his grandfather “Pa” Rose. He learned all the necessary skills for farming, fishing, hunting, and survival from an early age. By age 11, days long adventures riding his horse to his favorite fishing hole was a common occurrence. By his teens he had become successful at hunting wild game and his passion for the outdoors continued to grow. In High School he was known as “Mountain Man Dave”. Fall hunting season was ALWAYS a priority and he traveled throughout the Northwest in pursuit of birds and game. He had a string of horses that he took to the backcountry of Washington, Idaho, and Montana in search of more wilderness to test his skills. Even if he returned empty-handed the experience of the wild was a fulfilling reward. One of his 3 High School career choices had been to work as a Hunting Guide in Africa. After the death of his mother in 1998 he expanded his hunting range to the Yukon and ultimately to Africa, Asia, Europe, New Zealand, Australian, and South America. A great deal of time was spent ahead of each trip (1+ year) studying the animals, ecology, and cultures of the areas he intended to hunt. Besides pursuing the hunt, he immersed himself with the people and showed respect for their history and culture. It was more than chasing wild animals for Dave, it was the total experience.

Dave reveled in his persona as “Mountain Man” and tried to present the stereotypical tough guy presence. But those who knew him saw that as a hard exterior hiding a soft and compassionate interior. He worked hard, hunted passionately, never expected a handout, and reveled in his ability to be self-sufficient. Less visible was his sentimentality and sensitivity which generated compassion to people around him. He was frugal with himself to a fault but regularly gave help to others less fortunate. His words may have been gruff at times, but his actions demonstrated his soft heart. All who knew Dave have commented that he set the bar very high and played a significant role in forging who they are today. On May 10th, 2026 (Mother’s Day, and his mother had never left his heart) Dave passed away, peacefully, at home on the Swan Road where it all started. He is survived by his 5 daughters, Debbie, Denise, Cynthia, Andrea, and Mariaya as well as one brother, Dan. But he is also survived by countless others, family, friends, and random strangers, whose lives have been influenced.

A “Regular” working guy from a small county in western Washington has touched people around the world. We wish Dave peace in the ‘Happy Hunting Grounds”, there is a Crib board set up and waiting for you.