Nelson William Gildenmeister

Nelson William Gildenmeister, 84, of Vermilion, died Thursday, October 6, 2022 at Kingston of Vermilion after a brief illness.

He was born August 4, 1938 in Edgerton, OH and had been a Vermilion resident for the past year moving from Phoenix, AZ .

Nelson was a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

He worked as a Warehouse Manager for Walsh Brothers, Phoenix, AZ retiring in 2001.  He had also owned and operated Gilly's, an ice cream shop in Phoenix, AZ.  Prior to moving to Arizona, Nelson worked for Sandusky Plastics, Ford Motor Co., and had owned and operated the Sunoco Gas Station on 21st Street in Lorain.

He enjoyed woodworking, working on little projects around the house, and building and tinkering on computers.

He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Sara (nee Lachman) Gildenmeister of Vermilion;  sons, Nelson Jr. (Minna) Gildenmeister of Broomfield, CO,  and Jay (Evelyn) Gildenmeister of Howard, OH; daughters, Lisa (Sam) SanGregory of Franklin, NC and Gwen (Craig) Fisher of Vermilion; grandchildren, Brandon Crooks, Chelsea Fisher, Bryce Fisher,  Brock Fisher, Nick Gildenmeister, Karissa Whisner, Erin SanGregory, Angela Eldridge, and Samantha Everett; 13 great grandchildren; sister, Nancy Bilbrey of Bellevue, OH; mother-in-law Hedel Lachman; sister-in-law, Sherrie (Brian) Bates; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Delbert and Dorothy (nee Tucker) Gildenmeister; sister, Norma Rutherford; great-granddaughter, Maci Whisner father-in-law, Don Lachman; nephew, Jeff Burkin; and his niece, Kathy Mizner.

A celebration of Life Service will be announced at a later date.

The family suggests memorial contributions to Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland, 3601 S. Green Rd Ste 100, Cleveland, Ohio 44122-5719.

Online condolences may be made at www.riddlefuneralhome.com.