Gordon Everett Nielson

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWC1-HNP
• Initiatory (LDS): 24 Aug 1942, SLAKE

Notes:

Some of the most meaningful memories I have of my dad, Gordon Everett Ni e lson, are those involving his providing medical care to friends, famil y , and even complete strangers, in very unlikely places.
From my early Childhood, while we were living in a home on the beac h i n Laie, Hawaii, I remember there being a knock on the door at some po in t in the evening. I know it was after Dad had already spent the day i n hi s small clinic there in, and that it was after dark, although I don' t hav e any recollection of what time it actually was. (And this was no t an iso lated, one-time occurrence.) At the door were a couple of member s of a lo cal Polynesian family. They were in need of medical care and al though the re were medical services available at a small hospital in a ne arby town , everyone in the village knew, and expected that, Dad would ta ke care o f them and make them well. He was "their" doctor. One evenin g I remembe r that as the evening progressed, others kept showing up an d at a time th at was well past my bed-time, the "lanai" (our covered pat io), was crowde d with residents of the community and their families, bei ng taken care o f by Doc Nielson.
Dad had a "call bag" that he took everywhere with him. Sometimes yo u w ill still see a doctor that has a call bag, but they're typically jus t li ttle bags, no bigger than a medium-sized women's purse. Dad's call b ag wa s enormous, like a smaitcase, probably weighing 15 pounds or more . Whenev er he left home for more than just a short time, particularly i f he was g oing out of town, he carried that with him. I remember many ti mes while g rowing up at home, helping him go through the contents, makin g sure all t he medications and supplies were fresh and refilled. Dad h a d the capacit y, with that call bag, to even perform minor surgery or c are for a hear t attack patient.
I've seen him, and even helped him, do both. Even on vacations suc h a s when visiting the Mayan ruins at Tikal in Guatemala; or while on th e is land of Roatan off the coast of Honduras; or when on hunting trips a s i n the Malpai country neard, Arizona...Dad was providing medical car e an d relief to those who needed it, just because he could........and be caus e that's what his heart told him to do.

Gordon married Arlene King on 18 Mar 1942 in Tucson, Pima, Arizona, United States. Arlene (daughter of William Farnes King and Iduma Willie) was born on 5 Oct 1919 in Buist, Oneida, Idaho, United States; died on 30 Aug 1968 in Upland, San Bernardino, California, United States; was buried in Logan City Cemetery, Cache, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWH4-7MX
• Initiatory (LDS): 3 Jul 1964, SLAKE