Dr. Evan Luther Nelson (Bud) Jr

Dr. Evan Luther Nelson Jr., MD, age 95, passed away peacefully Thursday morning, July 31, 2025, at the Charter House in Rochester, Minnesota. He was born on July 10, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, at St. Luke's Hospital. Evan married Shirley Campbell, and together they had five children: Jeff Nelson, Sally Anne Werner, and the late Kim, Sue, and Stacey Nelson. He is survived by his two remaining children, Jeff and Sally; his five grandchildren, Megan, Heather, Matthew, Jacob, and Robert; and his six great-grandchildren, Haley, Hannah, Zak, Hayden, Lauren, and Harrison.
Evan graduated from West High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1948. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in philosophy in 1952. He served in the Army as a medical orderly, stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska. He went on to attend medical school at the University of Minnesota. He trained at the Mayo Clinic from 1962 to 1966. He became an otolaryngologist surgeon. He founded three medical practices in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and made his home in Edina, Minnesota. Later, he returned to the Mayo Clinic where he practiced for another 25 years, finally retiring in 2007 at 77 years old. He practiced medicine for over 49 years.
He loved traveling to many countries and continued to do so until just a year ago. He enjoyed serving abroad through Christian mission work, including with Doctors Without Borders. He played racquetball 3-5 times per week for over 60 years and loved gardening with passion. There are no words that can express how grateful and blessed he was to have many friends and neighbors. Each one meant so much to him.
A celebration of life will be held for his immediate family, date yet TBD.