10/30/2026
We share with profound sorrow the passing of World War II veteran Stan Nelson, a courageous World War II veteran and D-Day hero from Anoka, Minnesota, who passed away at the remarkable age of 105. With his passing, another irreplaceable voice of the Greatest Generation has fallen silent. Another brave soul who witnessed the unimaginable horrors of war has taken his final rest, leaving behind a legacy of sacrifice, extraordinary courage, and devotion to a country he was willing to give his life to defend. 🕊️🇺🇸
On June 6, 1944, while thousands of young American soldiers faced death on the blood-soaked shores of Omaha Beach, Stan Nelson was among the courageous Navy officers who helped carry them into battle. Serving as a Lieutenant Junior Grade aboard the landing craft LCI-492, he faced the terrifying chaos of D-Day, when the waters of the English Channel became a passage between life and death. Through the thunder of artillery, the relentless danger of enemy fire, and the desperate struggle unfolding along the Normandy coastline, Stan and his fellow sailors carried soldiers toward a beach where so many would never return home.
Again and again, he helped bring men toward the shore, knowing that every journey placed his own life in danger. Those aboard his landing craft were more than soldiers. They were sons whose mothers waited anxiously at home, husbands who had promised to return to their wives, and young men whose dreams of tomorrow depended upon surviving that terrible day. Some would live to grow old, raise families, and tell their grandchildren about the war. Others would never see another sunrise. Yet Stan continued his duty, helping deliver America's fighting men into one of the most consequential battles in human history.
He was only 23 years old when he faced the horrors of Normandy. At an age when most young men should have been building their futures, he was risking his own so that future generations might live in freedom. He survived the war and returned home, but the memory of those who never made it back remained part of the history he carried for the rest of his extraordinary life.
When the guns finally fell silent, Stan devoted his remaining years to serving others in a different way. As a beloved educator and legendary football coach in Anoka, he inspired generations of young people, teaching them the values of courage, discipline, perseverance, and character. The young Navy officer who had once helped guide soldiers toward the shores of Normandy became a mentor who helped guide countless young lives toward their futures.
More than eight decades after D-Day, Stan was still being honored for his service. On Veterans Day, November 11, 2025, at the age of 105, he stood before thousands of cheering fans at a Minnesota Wild hockey game, receiving the gratitude of a nation that owed men like him more than words could ever repay. Just nine days later, he was gone. His final chapter had come to a close, but the extraordinary story of his life would remain.
We remember not only the loss of a remarkable American hero, but also the fading presence of a generation that gave so much and asked for so little in return. With every World War II veteran we lose, another living connection to the courage, suffering, and sacrifices of that terrible war disappears forever.
Rest in eternal peace, Lieutenant Junior Grade Stanford Ingram “Stan” Nelson. You survived the deadly shores of Normandy, witnessed more than a century of history, and spent your life serving others with dignity and humility. May you now rest in the peace that you and your brothers-in-arms fought so courageously to secure.
Your final watch is over, sailor. The seas are calm now, the guns have fallen silent, and your duty is done. May the heroes who never returned from Normandy be remembered alongside you, and may your courage never fade from the heart of a grateful nation. 🕊️🇺🇸
Fair winds and following seas, Stan Nelson. We will remember you.
