Joel Roger Nelson, 64, of Austin, Minn., and Antioch, Ill., passed away July 23, 2014, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minn., after a short illness. He was born Jan. 7, 1950, in Austin to Roger and Kathryn (Johnson) Nelson. Joel graduated from Austin High School in 1968 and continued his education at both Austin Community College and Winona State University. Joel married Marlo Nelson on Oct. 4, 2004, in Orlando, Fla.

Joel was the owner and operator of Nelson Sound Electronics, which he founded in 1971, transforming his long time love of electronics and production into a business venture. Through the company, Joel became involved with various state pageants in the Miss America system, and served as both Executive Director and Producer of Miss Minnesota from 1970-1998. Joel worked with over 10 county fairs in Minnesota and recently surpassed 30 years of service with several of them. He took great pride in these long standing relationships.

Joel was an active member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church of Austin, where he often lent his expertise in sound. For over 20 years, he was proud to provide sound support to his elementary alma mater, Banfield School, which his daughter also attended. Joel participated in the Exchange Club, Austin Public Schools Student/Parent Advisory Council and served on the Board of the Paramount Theater. He was involved with the National Barrow Show and was instrumental in its continued success in Austin.

Joel is survived by his wife, Marlo; daughter and son-in-law Nancy (daughter of Jean Kyle) and Corey Mathisen ,White Bear Lake, Minn.; aunt Pauline Lageson, Green Bay, Wis.; uncle Phil (Ardythe) Johnson Phoenix, Ariz.; and many more dear friends and family members.

Honorary pallbearers will be, Blaine Arneson, Justin Bickler, Allen Ditto, Tom Hensley, Bob Loecher, Mike Long, Corey Mathisen, Kenny Miland, Danny Muzik, Corky Peterson and Larry Webber.

A gathering to celebrate Joel’s spirit of hospitality and love of sports (especially the Golden Gophers!) will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, in the Main Pavilion at Todd Park of Austin. Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing highlighting their favorite sports teams.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church of Austin. Clasen-Jordan Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to fund a scholarship through the Austin Public Education Foundation, which will be awarded to students pursuing careers in the sound/production field.