Lawrence Neilson
Feb. 10, 1945 – April 11, 2025
Lawrence Douglas Neilson, 80, of Sweet Home, passed away April 11, 2025.
He was born Feb. 10, 1945, to Hazel (Lawrence) and David Neilson in Needham, Mass.
After graduating from high school in 1963, Larry came to Oregon, in 1966 he drove with a friend in a 1957 Chevrolet to Hayward, Calif.
Larry was inducted into the Marines. He earned a national defense medal, Vietnamese service medal, one star Vietnamese campaign medal (with device) before being discharged in 1967.
Larry worked and retired from Naval Air Station in Alameda, Calif. He took an early retirement when President Clinton closed the base in 1992.
He lived in Union City, Castro Valley and San Lorenzo, Calif., before moving to Sweet Home in 1995. Larry and his wife, Janice, owned Fraga Farm Goat Cheese which kept them busy tending to the goats.
Larry helped manage the Sweet Home Farmers Market. He also enjoyed woodworking and fishing.
Larry is survived by his wife, Janice Neilson of Sweet Home; daughter Renee Spotts of Texas; son Chris Neilson of Reno, Nev.; step-son Joe Ruggiero and daughter-in-law Sara Struminski of Sweet Home; sister Wendy Twitchell of Kennebunkport, Maine; and brother-in-law Bruce Martin of Kennebunkport; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his brother David Neilson and sister-in-law Jackie Neilson, both in 2024.
A memorial service with military honors will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at Sweet Home Funeral Chapel, which is handling the arrangements.