Arthur L. Nielson

ARTHUR L. “ART” NIELSON Funeral services for lifelong Dolores resident Arthur L. “Art” Nielson will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 8 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, M Road Chapel. Interment will follow at Summit Ridge Cemetery. Art was born on December 17, 1922 in Monticello, Utah the son of Gennies James and Adelia (Burdick) Nielson. He passed away on Sunday, December 2, 2007 at his residence at the age of 84. Art was the fourth child and third son born to his parents. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Monticello. Growing up, Art’s family lived in the Blanding and Monticello areas. He and his father were involved in the sheep business in Southern Utah. Upon moving to Dolores in 1935, Art’s father bought a sheep outfit down the river and moved his family there. At that time the family started farming hay. Art’s parents rented a house in Dolores and the children went to school at McPhee. Art got his first taste of construction when his family purchased a D-2 Caterpillar and built roads to the uranium mines at a rate of $4.50 an hour. As a young man, Art was involved with rodeos, he learned to fly an airplane and he worked on farms and ranches in several states. Margaret Green was a teacher at McPhee school. She put on a dance as a fundraiser and one of the band members playing that night was Art. The couple was married on January 30, 1942 in Aztec, N.M. Art worked on the family ranch and at the Yellow Circle Mine near Moab. He then went on to work in Durango. Between the years of 1945 and 1946, Art was stationed in Hawaii as a Civilian Investigator. After his service there, Art, his father and brothers bought a crusher and started making gravel for concrete. In 1952, Art, Dick and Bill moved the crusher above Dolores. The brothers bought their father’s portion of the business out and Nielsons Inc. was created. Art was responsible for running the crusher. In 1968, Art sold his interest in the company and went into the guard rail business. Art’s career interest changed again in 1981, when he and his son, Dart began Frontier Machine Shop. Art led a very active life. Outside of work he was involved with the Montezuma County Republicans having served as Chairman. For 12 years he was the mayor of Dolores, he was a member of the Dolores Fire Department and he donated land for a Dolores Fire Department Substation. Art was also involved with the Rotary Club, Elks, Masons, Eastern Star, Shriners and he was a sought after public speaker. He was fond of John Wayne and an enthusiastic Denver Broncos fan. Surviving Art are his children, Linda McDonald and husband, Jerry of Tyrone, N.M., Mark Nielson and wife, Sylveria of West Jordan, Utah, Claudia Haynie of Cortez, and Dart Nielson and wife, Yong Sun of Dolores; 15 grandchildren; 45 great-grandchildren; and his siblings, Bill Nielson and wife, Gean of Dolores, and Bonnie Nielson and husband, Stan Hochstedler of Denver, Colo. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Margaret Nielson; a granddaughter, Joanna Cleveland; five brothers and one sister.