Paul Herbert Nelson

Paul Nelson, 85, of Saint James, MN, died on Dec. 21, 2025, at Pleasantview - Good Samaritan, in Saint James.

A private service for the family will be held at a later date.

Arrangements are with the Sturm Funeral Home in Saint James. Online Condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.

Paul Herbert Nelson was born March 12, 1940, in St. James, MN to Gladys and Herbert Nelson. Paul was raised on the farm in West Sveadahl immersed in the heritage of his mother's Norwegian and father's Swedish families. At the age of 10 Gladys, Herbert, Paul, and younger sister, Judith moved off the farm into St. James. At first Paul was not happy in leaving the family farm and rich cultural heritage, but he soon turned his attention to his passion for buying cars and working on them in the garage at home in St. James. During this time, he taught himself about cars and in particular honing in on his auto body skills, modifying and fixing the cars to styles of the 1950's. One of his favorites cars was a two-door "black 49 Mercury" that was lowered close to the ground.

Paul's father cautioned him that this love for working on automobiles was a hobby and not a practical way to make an income and living. Upon graduating high school and trying to keep practical, Paul enrolled at Mankato Vo-tech to study Auto Body with a favorite teacher, Lars. During this time Paul worked at the corner gas station in St. James. Across the street was a hotel restaurant that was run by Ruth Keech and her children. While frequenting the restaurant, Paul soon became attracted to a cute waitress his age, Mardelle Keech. This began a love and romance that continued for over 65 years.

Once graduating vo-tech, Paul's career in the automotive industry flourished where he began working at a dealership in Mankato. His skills in metal finishing and auto body repair were well known as other dealerships in the area would bring their cars to Paul as he was known to be able to fix the body of the car to "like new" condition. From there, Paul started opening his own body shops, eventually settling back in St. James after serving for two years in Panama with a mechanical motor division in the Army. After this time in service, at the age of 26, Paul joined the Masons.

As his business grew with adding a wrecker business, he soon bought the Ford dealership in St. James. During this time period in the 70's and 80's, Paul and his partner, Kirby Nelson along with the Ford dealership had multiple businesses where for a time they ran the St. James bus department, a truck milk collecting route, truck part salvage yard, and bar and restaurant at the Hickory Inn Location. As times changed and the farming crisis hit the area Paul developed a one-of-a-kind fiberglass business that made complete fiberglass hoods for large over the road trucks. These hoods where shipped all over the country. His final business and success in the fiberglass trade was designing and developing a fiberglass cab back to enclose vehicles that had an open cab to repurpose the vehicle. This final invention of his, has been shipped globally.

Outside of his entrepreneur adventures Paul was known as someone folks liked working for and visiting with while listening to his gift at story telling. He often prided himself on hiring people that others had overlooked and giving them a chance.

In the same way, family was important to Paul in his upbringing in Sveadahl, his wife Mardelle and family were the center of his life as he enjoyed spending time with his children, Andrew, Christine, and Mitchell. Paul's grandchildren, Elizabeth and Nick, he was able to cherish by spending time with them as children and teaching them from his own life's wisdom before he retired. The joy of his family time in his final years was in this continued time and love for his great grandchildren, McKenna, Lyla, Emerson, Watson, Duke, Genesis, Noah, and Frankie.

Those left to cherish Paul's memory and spirit are his wife, Mardelle Nelson; sister, Judith Nelson and her partner Carol White; son, Andrew Nelson and wife Jaki Hafiz; daughter, Christine Beckius and husband Mark Beckius; son, Mitchell Nelson; granddaughter, Elizabeth Frederickson and husband Matt Frederickson; grandson, Nicolas Beckius and wife Brett Beckius; grandson, Robert Rodriguez and wife Nikki Rodriguez; grandson, Abraham Rodriguez and wife Haydee Rodriguez; great grandchildren, Mckenna Frederickson, Lyla Frederickson, Emerson Beckius, Watson Beckius, Duke Beckius, Genesis Rodriguez, Noah Rodriguez, and Frankie Rodriguez. Paul was preceded in death by his mother, Gladys Nelson; father, Herbert Nelson; brother-in-law, Richard Keech; sisters-in-law, Darlyne Thormodson, Jacqueline Picha, and Delores Arduser.