SWANVILLE — Dennis Mark Nelson (MSgt – USMC, Ret.), 62, of Swanville, passed away September 15, 2017. Born August 27, 1955 in Schenectady, New York, son of Richard C. Nelson and the late Janet C. (Dare) Nelson. Dennis grew up in Orlando, FL and joined the Marine Corps in 1978. After training as an electrician, he trained as a navigator and served with a C-130 refueler squadron in Okinawa and the United States. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1998 at MCAS Cherry Point in NC, and he and his family moved to Swanville, ME in 2009.

Dennis was an avid sailor and loved the outdoors. He and his family (and their dogs) loved hiking, camping, kayaking, snowshoeing, spending time at the beach, and traveling. He joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in 2012, eventually serving as flotilla commander in Belfast, ME. At home on their small farm he enjoyed his vegetable gardens and his chickens and also enjoyed baking bread, brewing beer, and carving wooden spoons.

Beloved husband of Karen (Mahoney) Nelson, he is survived by his son, Alexander C. Nelson of Raleigh, NC; daughter, Donya J. Nelson and daughter-in-law Jessi Nelson of Yelm, WA; stepson, Jonathan B. Crane of Manchester, NH; father, Richard C. Nelson and his partner, Peggy Wilson, of Tucson, AZ; sisters, June M. Sneider of Clear Lake Shores, TX and Katherine D. Nelson of Altamonte Springs, FL; and extended family.

A memorial service will be at Riverside Cemetery, Elm St. (Rte 62), North Reading, MA on Friday, Nov. 3rd, at 11:00 AM. Following the service, there will be a lunch to celebrate Dennis's life at VFW Post 2104, 32 Park St., North Andover, MA. All are welcome.

His family is very grateful for the outstanding care he received from Dr. David Reardon, Jennifer Stefanik, NP, and Sandra Ruland, RN, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and Dr. M. Aziz-Sultan at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.

Please consider making donations in Dennis's memory to the Neuro-Oncology Fund, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Pl., 6th Fl., Brookline, MA 02445; or to an organization Dennis truly admired and would have liked to have been a part of: Pilots N Paws, 200 West Main Street, Middletown, MD 21769.

Websites: http://pilotsnpaws.org/donate or http://www.dana-farber.org/How-to-Help.aspx

Arrangements are under the care of Riposta Funeral Home, 182 Waldo Ave., Belfast. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.ripostafh.com.