Frederick Nelson: Founder and Owner of Lynnwood Honda in Edmonds Dies

Memorial services will be held Wednesday for Frederick Nelson, who founded in 1981. Nelson was 94.

He was born May 14, 1917, in Seattle, and died Feb. 26, 2012.

Lynnwood Honda recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and is now managed by Nelson's children, Erik Nelson and Wendy Nelson Popke, who joined Lynnwood Honda in 1984.

The following obituary is courtesy of on Fifth Avenue South.

Fred was very passionate about two things, his family and fishing! His annual trips to Langara Island, BC with his family, was the highlight of his year and deep sea fishing in Panama a close second. He dearly loved his family, which was the most important part of his life. He rarely missed a single event, of any kind, in his four grandchildren lives.

He never stopped coming to work, even at 94. He would walk through the dealership greeting employees, sharing his wonderful smile and a kind word. He was always inquiring about something in their lives or of interest to them. He had a love of sweets and would often find treats left for him on his desk by an admirer when he arrived at work in the morning.

Fred was born and raised in Ballard where he attended Ballard High School, entered the University of Washington in 1935 where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. In the summer of 1936 he and other friends from UW entered a cross Pacific boat race, sailing from the Seattle Yacht Club to Honolulu. Upon landing in Honolulu he decided to stay and attended the University of Hawaii for a year, ultimately returning to graduate from the UW in 1938. He then attended Duke Law School, graduating with his law degree in 1942.

He joined the Army in 1944 and was stationed in Japan during the rebuilding phase. He learned to speak Japanese and thoroughly enjoyed his time in the Army. After the Army he returned to Ballard and joined the family business at Nelson Chevrolet. Fred moved to Sedro Woolley, where he owned and operated Fred Nelson Chevrolet. He was a Chevrolet dealer for 25 years and was active in the Skagit County Community.

In 1981 he moved to Edmonds Washington where he owned and operated Lynnwood Honda. This November Lynnwood Honda celebrated its 30 year anniversary, a milestone of which he was extremely proud. He was a Honda dealer for 30 years and continued to come to work every day, dressed in his trademark suit and tie, until the last month of his life.

Fred was a true pioneer in the automotive industry; he knew the importance of giving back to his community and was a caring person who shared his smile everywhere he went. He lived his life with integrity and honesty. He never said a negative word about anyone and always looked on the positive side of life. He was famous for saying, "it will all work out" and remarkably it always did. He had a love of life and all those in it.

He is survived by his children, Paige Nelson, Wendy Nelson Popke (Mike), Erik Nelson (Tamara), step-son Scott Zorn, his sister Bliss Miller, his grandchildren, Andi and Greyson Nelson, Claire and Jack Popke, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, March 7 at 2:00 pm, at Edmonds United Methodist Church, 828 Caspers St., Edmonds. A reception immediately following the service will be held at the Edmonds Yacht Club, 326 Admiral Way, Edmonds.