Eric Nelson

Eric Richard Nelson, 56, was born in 1965 in Fontana, California.  He passed away on May 5, after a two year struggle with colorectal cancer.  As in life, Eric managed his illness with strength and grace, spending as much time with family as possible.

Eric is predeceased by his father, Richard Nelson, maternal grandparents, Clifford Bowcutt and Thelma Tibbetts, and his paternal grandparents, Lucile and LaRue Nelson.  Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Melanie and their two children, Jordan and her husband Robert Santini and Zachary Nelson; Eric’s mother, Sandra Broadhead, his brother, Curtis and his wife Kimberly Nelson and their children Emily and her husband Jake Schwantes, Katie and her husband Cameron LeFevre, Anna, and Amy; his sister, Kimberly and her husband Anthony Smith, and their children, Olivia and Madeline, as well as many uncles, aunts, cousins, in-laws, and close friends that were like family to him.

Eric’s childhood years were spent living in a variety of places including Ohio, California, Canada, Australia, Utah, and North Dakota where he graduated from Hazen High School.  After high school, Eric attended Brown Institute of Broadcasting and Electronics in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  In 1985 he began working as a DJ in Tremonton, Utah.

Eric and Melanie met in Minneapolis, fell in love, and married in 1986.  They briefly lived in Utah before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada late 1988.  Eric and Melanie had two children, Jordan and Zachary, and a dog named Chewy that passed away in 2020.  The newest family addition is Bruno, the new family dog.

In late 1988, Eric began his gaming industry career at the Westward Ho. After the Westward Ho, he worked at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, and then onto Wynn Resorts in 2005.  Eric concluded his gaming career as a Slot 1 Manager at the Wynn / Encore Resorts in Las Vegas.

Eric was an avid sports fan, concert goer, and traveler.  His favorite professional teams are the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Green Bay Packers, and the Vegas Golden Knights.  He also followed the careers of Coach Joe Torre (Dodgers) and Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University) and was thrilled when he got to meet them both in person.  Classic rock was his favorite type of music, but enjoyed a wide variety of music. The first concert he took his kids to was the Go Go’s at Mandalay Beach.  Eric liked to get autographs and somehow would work his way down to the stage at concerts. Finally, Eric had a zest for new experiences and his travels fit the bill which included places throughout the States, Bermuda, Caribbean cruises, Mexico, Hawaii, and his favorite destination, New Zealand.

Eric also loved reading, trivia, and movies.  He would say he knows “tons of useless stuff” when asked about his vast variety of knowledge.  He was an avid reader of news and online pop culture topics and shared his love of reading with elementary students as a volunteer for Spread the Word.  Eric was generous in other ways too.  On occasion, you may find him buying meals for a homeless person or taking a person grocery shopping that was down on their luck.

The family welcomes honorary donations to the American Cancer Association at cancer.org/NVdonation, flowers, and cards.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, May 12th from 5:00-8:00pm at Davis Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 1401 South Rainbow, Las Vegas, Nevada.  https://www.davisfuneralservicesrainbow.com/listings

The Funeral will be held on Friday, May 13th at 11:00am at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church located at 8425 West Windmill.  Live Streaming:  https://goodsamlv.org/live-streaming/