On June 14th, 2008, we held a visitation for my Dad near Heritage Ranch. At the visitation, Dick Bushart read this tribute to my Dad:

Most tennis players will agree that you get to know a person pretty well after spending time with him on a tennis court. Dick Nelson was a player and we played a lot of tennis together at Heritage Ranch. During that time, I feel as if we got to know him pretty well.

For instance, we found that not only was Dick gracious on the court, but he was a pleasure to be around. He was always respectful to the other players. He was always considerate about the other players’ feeling, and at the same time supportive of their efforts. He always displayed that same positive attitude and dedication to the game. He always exuded that high level of confidence that was so contagious to his partners.

You always admired his maturity, dealing with the mental part of the game, and above all you knew he would battle until the end without ever giving up on himself or his teammate. You had to admire the quality of play because it reflected the integrity and character of him as a person.

We knew Dick as a good neighbor, a fine tennis player, and a person that everyone looked forward to playing with as an opponent or as a partner. He seemed to enjoy being around his neighbors at Heritage Ranch and we certainly enjoyed being around him.

Right now, we all feel a little cheated because it seems like his departure was so premature. We just never really had enough time around Dick. However, we may have only known him for a short while, but during that period… what a wonderful example he was to us all, and I think we have all become a little nicer just from knowing Dick Nelson.

He will be sorely missed by us, his loving wife Irene and their family, but what a wonderful memory he leaves us all.

Thank you, Dick, and God bless.