Boyd Burton Nelson

Boyd Burton Nelson, 95, of Manhattan, was called to his heavenly estate on August 1, 2019. He passed in Bozeman with his family and friends by his side. He was the first born of three children to Ida and Dale Nelson in Enid, Oklahoma on May 8, 1924, and he spent his childhood in Carrier, Oklahoma, on the family farm during the Dust Bowl.



Boyd served in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. He met his future wife, Bonita Vivian Ayers Bailey, when he returned from his service. They were married and started their lifelong honeymoon on December 27, 1950, and had their marriage sealed for time and eternity in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Idaho Falls Temple in 1964. Boyd worked on combines, on cars, on fiberglass, and on being his own boss for the entirety of his life. He and Bonita spent 22 winters in Kino Bay near Hermosillo, Mexico. Together, they raised 13 children.



Boyd was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Bonita, his brother Billy Dale, three of their children (Dale, Barbara, and Johnny), and several grandchildren. Survivors include his sister, Lola; his sons, James and Darric; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even a great-great-grandson.



Services will be held August 7, 2019, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Three Forks, MT. Visitation in the Relief Society Room at 10:30 am and funeral service starting at 11:00 am. Dedication of the grave to follow at Meadowview Cemetery in Manhattan, MT.