Jack Marion Nielsen

Jack Nielsen
Church Wells, Utah

Jack Marion Nielsen, 76, of Church Wells, UT, passed away on January 12, 2021, in St. George, surrounded by his wife and three of his daughters.  Jack was born on May 13, 1944, to Joseph “Fleet” Nielsen and Laurel Torgersen Nielsen, in Richfield, Utah and joined the National Guard at the age of 21. He served for 13 years and received an honorable discharge on May 2, 1977.

Jack met Janette Ann Farnsworth in July of 1964 and they were married on July 17, 1965. They were sealed in the St. George Temple on August 29, 1979. Together they had four beautiful baby girls: Sona, Monica, Rakell, and Stacey. They were a force to be reckoned with. Their love continues to shine brighter than the stars in the sky, and many (especially their children and grandchildren) look up to their relationship and hope to emulate the love they share. They did everything together from traveling to date nights in bed. They would frequently lay in bed talking, or in the silence, because they were happy as long as they were together.

On July 17, 2002, they were gifted with the opportunity to become parents again and later adopt three of their grandchildren: Preston, Samantha, Mallory-Jo. They raised them as their own and instilled values in them such as the ability to recognize right from wrong and the value and meaning of unconditional love. Jack was better known to so many as “Papa” and was a guiding force in the lives of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He took an interest in each and every one of their lives and everyone knew how much they were loved by him. He was a teacher to not only his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but to anyone around him. He was an example to so many, he was a leader, and he was the backbone of his family.

Jack was a force of nature, determined to provide for his family and give them the life he felt they deserved. His family meant more to him than anything else in the world and that was frequently made apparent with all the selfless decisions he made for them. Hard work and generosity were second nature to him. He had a genuine joy for working hard and giving to others. He was admired and loved by all who knew him and everyone who had the pleasure of coming into contact with him knew that he was a gentle and loving man. He was genuine, honest, hard-working, dedicated, and generous, among so many other traits.

Jack loved nature. He was passionate about bald eagles and people frequently gave him replicas (in some shape or form) of them to display on the shelf in his home that was overflowing with such items. He was an avid fisherman, a skilled marksman, a talented artist, and an even better man. He never spoke ill of anyone and no one ever heard the word “hate” leave his lips (unless he was talking about a particular food or shopping). He was a dedicated hunter. He was also fond of Ford pickup trucks. A ‘53 Ford F100 Stepside was “his” truck, and his entire family was always on the lookout for models to add to his collection that over-filled a different shelf in his home; the same shelf that housed his collection of NASCAR memorabilia.
Anyone who knew Jack knew that he was the most loving man a family could ask for and he will be dearly missed.

He is survived by his wife Janette; children: Sona Lynn (Scott) Asay, Monica Rae (Randy) Cheshire, RakellLee Nielsen, Stacey Ann Nielsen, Danylle Jackee (Joseph) Pliler, Preston Joseph Farnsworth Nielsen, Samantha Ann Nielsen, Mallory-Jo Orion Nielsen; 18 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Udell Nielsen; sister, NoraMay Jessen; and great-grandson, Grayson Pliler.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. in the Magleby Mortuary Chapel, where friends may call Tuesday evening from 6-7 or Wednesday morning from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Annabella Cemetery with military honors. Live streaming of the services can be found at www.maglebymortuary.com  under Jack’s obituary. Due to COVID-19, all attendees are required to wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines.  Funeral Directors: Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina and Manti.

The family is asking for donations to help cover medical and funeral expenses in lieu of flowers. Donations can be made directly to his wife’s Venmo account (@Janette-Nielsen-1). During donation, if a security alert appears asking for the last four digits of the phone number, that number is “2539”.