Charles Nels Anderson, Age 75, of Butte, passed away on July 23, 2024.
Services took place at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Butte on August 8, 2024.
Please visit below to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Charles.
Axelson Funeral and Cremation Services is privileged to care for Charles and his family.
Mary Huestis says
I knew Nels in the late 1980s. He did so love cross country skiing and his mother’s little dog.
He was a good-hearted man and, when I knew him, a devout Catholic.
I am sorry that he has passed away.
RIP
Corby Anderson says
C. Nels Anderson passed away peacefully in the family home on July 23, 2024. A lifelong resident of Butte, he was born on May 2, 1949 to Conrad and Erma Anderson, the seventh of his Father’s eight children but his Mother’s first of two children. Nels proudly carried the names of both his German born Grandfather Constantine Charles Schultz and his Swedish born Grandfather Nils August Andersson. However, his heart and mind were always ruled by his Irish Harrington roots passed through by his Mother and Grandmother. Indeed, in his early years, besides his Mother, he was doted upon and mentored by his Irish Grandmother Margaret along with his Irish Aunts Ruth, Clarice, Margaret, Gertrude and Alice. As such, he was raised and lived as an Irish Catholic. Sadly, in late 1953 he was involved in a tragic auto accident in Idaho in which his Grandmother Margaret lost her life, and his Mother experienced eventual crippling injuries. Nels too lay unconscious in the hospital for an extended period before recovering. Nels went on to attend McKinley school, East Junior High and Butte High before attending Montana Tech and Washington State University. He was gifted in math, science, engineering and music. At Butte High he played clarinet in the marching band and was also well versed in the accordion and piano. He was also a member of the Film and the Science Clubs. He also was a member of the Immaculate Church choir for an extended period. As well, he was an active long time member of the YMCA and a tole painter. However, his true lifelong passion was for automobiles and engines which he acquired from his Father Conrad who was a Master mechanic. At one point he built a 1955 Chevrolet drag racing car which he drove competitively. At Montana Tech he earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Engineering Science. His Master’s thesis in 1978 under the direction or Professor Charles Herndon represented groundbreaking insights into the early advent of renewable solar energy technology. He worked as a Mechanical Engineer for the Anaconda Company and at Mountain States Energy, as an architectural draftsman, as an expert upholsterer and as an Adjunct Professor of Engineering Science at Montana Tech. In 1989, he married Mary Helen Huestis Duffy, but they subsequently divorced in 1992. Throughout his life, Nels was completely devoted to his parents until they passed away. Sadly, as he progressed further in life, and as mental challenges emerged, he chose to live a solitary life and detach from the rest of his family and friends. Perhaps this stemmed from a reemergence of the injuries he received in 1953. He was preceded in death by his Grandmother Margaret Schultz, his Father Conrad Anderson, his Mother Erma Anderson, his dear Uncle Charles Schultz, special Cousin Michael Weber, his half Sisters Laverne, Constance, Rita and Betty, and half Brothers Robert and Conrad. He is survived by his Brother Corby Anderson and his Wife Jeanne, his Nephew Caelen Anderson and his Wife Kelsie, Grand Nephews Teague and Rory Anderson and multiple half Nieces and Nephews and many other Cousins and friends in Butte and across the country. A formal memorial service will take place at a future date. Donations in the name of C. Nels Anderson may be made to the Butte Food Bank or to The Grace Fund Foundation (www.thegracefundfoundation.com) in Butte.
Ar dheis D’e go raibh a anam dilis.
“It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.”― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories.