Deacon Gregory Philip Nelsen, (Greg), age 72 lost his battle with cancer on Friday April 12, 2024, and went home to the loving arms of God.

He is survived by his loving wife Barbara, daughter Kristina (Emilio) Regala, sons, Brian (Ann), Eric (Kacey) and Kevin Nelsen. 7 grandchildren and his brother Frank N. Nelsen III. He is preceded in death by his parents Frank N and Myra Barbara (Nolan) Nelsen.

Born July 18, 1951, in Rockville Centre, New York, he graduated St. John's Prep in New York City and graduated Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York with a degree in History in 1973. He married his college sweetheart during his senior year of college, and they were married for 51 years. With his talent for selling and meeting people, he started his working career with Mutual of New York Insurance and then Prudential in the Hudson Valley, New York area where he worked for 24 years. A job transfer with Prudential in 1986 brought him to Florida where he and Barbara settled in Altamonte Springs. In 1996 he left the insurance industry and started Aire-Master of Central Florida, a scent-marketing/odor control franchise of Aire-Master of America.

When his children were in high school and years after, Greg volunteered as a track official at Showalter Field. He felt if you wanted to be involved with your children when they were in sports, volunteer, you would have the best seat in the house.

He played the base drum for a bagpipe band in New York and when he moved to Florida he played with Rosie O'Grady's Highlanders in Orlando.

He was active in his faith and volunteered as an usher, reader and, along with Barbara, taught Natural Family Planning both in the archdiocese of New York and the Orlando diocese for over 30 years and chaired St Mary Magdalen's Community Fest from 1999-2001. He was a 4th degree Knight of Columbus. And loved working the Lenten Fish Fries, cooking the fish and enjoying the cooking crew's company. He started a Cancer Support group and a men's morning prayer group at the parish. He enjoyed his trips to Rome and the Holy Land and had the grace-filled experience of preaching from a boat on the Sea of Galilee.

God called Greg to the diaconate, and he was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate for the Orlando Diocese on June 29, 2013, and received his master's in theology from St. Leo's University while in diaconate formation.

What made Greg most happy was being with his children and grandchildren and serving his parish family at St. Mary Magdalen and the surrounding area.

Wake and funeral mass are scheduled for May 10th & 11th at St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church Altamonte Springs, Florida.