David W. Nielsen

David W. Nielsen, 90, passed away on September 2, 2026, at Pine Acres Nursing Home in Madison, NJ, after a brief hospice stay.

Born in Orange, NJ, David grew up in West Orange and resided in Livingston prior to getting married and moving to Hanover Township in 1964. He graduated from West Orange High School with the Class of 1953. He earned a bachelor's degree in industrial arts education from Trenton State Teachers College (now called The College of New Jersey) in 1957 and then a master's degree in educational administration from New York University.

He proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960, stationed at Fort Monmouth and Fort Dix in NJ.

Throughout his decades-long career in education, David taught a robust Industrial Arts curriculum to middle school students at the Lafayette School, then part of the Morristown public school system, and at Mount Pleasant Middle School in Livingston. He also was an adjunct instructor at Kean College.

He took an early retirement from teaching in 1983, starting a new full-time career as a contractor who built houses from start to finish by himself, did renovations and additions, and created custom cabinetry for kitchens. David got his start in Industrial Arts by apprenticing with a cabinet and furniture maker in East Orange at age 16, when he was still in high school.

Around 1985, he began doing automotive repairs at the Sunoco gas station in Florham Park.

For more than five decades, David also was the primary caretaker of Pleasantdale Cemetery in West Orange, eventually becoming its superintendent and serving in that capacity. Drawing on his wide range of skills, David handled all of the major tasks for the cemetery, from maintaining its grounds, to managing its trust fund, to running the excavator, preparing for burials and placing headstones. Working at the cemetery gave him purpose and an outlet for his many talents.

David was active at Grace Lutheran Church in Livingston, St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Morris Township, and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Florham Park. He was a member of the choir, and a member of the finance, building & grounds committees.

He was a master craftsman and a creative problem-solver who could fix almost anything. In his rare moments of relaxation, he enjoyed listening to his classical music CD collection and watching NY Mets baseball on television.

In June 1964, he married Ruth, his Lafayette School colleague. They lived in Hanover Township for more than 62 years, raising their three daughters there.

David was predeceased by his sister, Phyllis Van Nest. He is survived by his beloved wife, Ruth Nielsen, and his loving daughters, Julie, Beth (Robin), and Rachel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in David's memory to either Lutheran World Relief, P.O. Box 17061, Baltimore, MD 21297-1061 (www.lwr.org), or Doctors Without Borders, P.O. Box 5023, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5023 (www.doctorswithoutborders.org).

Condolences, memories and photos may be left at www.proutfuneralhome.com.