Carnegie Hero Michael B. Nelson died Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in Milltown, Montana, surrounded by friends and family. He was 80.
Nelson was born on June 16, 1944, to Thomas and Gerda Nelson in Missoula, Montana.
Nelson was awarded the Carnegie Medal after he saved two schoolboys, ages 11 and 13, from drowning in Milltown on June 11, 1959. The boys played on a raft caught by the swift current in the rain-swollen Blackfoot River and they were carried rapidly downstream. The raft became lodged against accumulated debris atop a submerged pier when the 13-yearold fell from the raft and drifted downstream. Nelson, then 15, ran 300 feet to the water’s edge, jumped into the cold water and swam to the boy, who intermittently submerged. Nelson submerged and located the boy and brought him to the water’s surface. With effort Nelson towed the boy across the current to the bank and then ran 300 feet to a dwelling where he obtained a rope. He returned to the river and tossed the rope to the 11-year-old, who tied it to the raft. While others held onto the rope, Nelson ran upstream to a where a rowboat was tied. He used a board for an oar and moved downstream where he eventually struck the debris atop the pier. Nelson pushed the rowboat free and swung it alongside the raft. After he helped the 11-year-old aboard, he pulled the boat along the rope extending from the raft to the bank.
He married July 2, 1966, to Linda Shults. Nelson attended Western Montana College and the University of Montana in Missoula. He worked around 30 years for the Montana Highway Department until his retirement in 2001.
Nelson enjoyed hunting and the company of all his friends and family. He was described as a storyteller and liked to make his granddaughters laugh. Nelson was proud of his Scandinavian heritage and made sure to continue the traditional Norwegian delicacies such as lutefisk, potato sausage, and lefse at the holidays.
Nelson is survived by wife, Linda Shults; daughter, Sara McDonald; son, Matt Nelson; sisters, Ruth Jones and Julie Williams; granddaughters, Holly, Carly, and Lindsay.