Bill Kiene semi-retired
10-09-2010, 03:42 PM
Nelson Rossig |
Born at Bucksport on December 3, 1908 to Richard and Nettie Rossig, Nelson Rossig passed away Saturday, September 11, 2010 at his home in Eureka. He was an Elder of the Wiyot tribe. As a young boy he was taught to fish and hunt by his Uncle Jerry James. He enjoyed every kind of bounty the waters of the north coast have to offer. Crab, mussels, abalone, eels, and of course salmon and Steelhead are just some of the treasures he enjoyed. He got his first taste of fly fishing as a teenager with Joe Dickerson and developed his talent into an art form he enjoyed all his life. Not only did he tie his own flies, but he had an innate ability to 'read' the river and know exactly where to cast his fly. As a young man he went into the refrigeration business in San Francisco but as rewarding as that business was, he longed to be closer to the rivers he grew up on and in 1947, he moved back to Eureka to make his home with his wife, Emily. He worked as a longshoreman for many years, retiring at the age of 65 to enjoy his fly fishing hobby full time. Nelson served on the Humboldt County Grand Jury and also served on the Fish and Game Advisory Committee. He will always be known as an advocate for local fishermen and for fighting to maintain access to the rivers for sportsmen. Nelson was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Emily Jane Wilson Rossig. He is survived by his niece Claire Vinson and her husband Eddie Vinson of Buda, Texas, who served as his dedicated caregivers for the last four months of his life. He is also survived by his sister, Irene Carlson, his sister-in-law, Leta Wilson, his nieces and nephews: Velva Angell, Henry Cooper, Albert James II, Myra Lamberson Lowe, Fred Lamberson, Jr., Colleen Guido, Dorothy Long, Elmer Rossig, Bill Rossig, Emil Pawlus, Richard Pawlus, Jill Kovacovich, Susan Hubbard, Rew E. Wilson, Sam Wilson, Shawn Wilson, Nancy Kelly Stevens, Kacey Kelly Davis, Patrick Kelly, Jennifer Wilson Chapman, Carolyn Wilson Crnich, Jeffrey Wilson, Christopher G. Wilson, and his Godson, Paul Angell as well as three more generations of nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind a whole river bar full of fishing buddies including Forrest Willis, Harold Neville, and Conrad Calimpong who comforted and amused him with fishing memories during his last months. Special thanks also to the members of the Yurok Tribe who so generously sent acorns, smoked salmon, eels and sturgeon when those were the only things Nelson wanted to eat. A graveside service for his family and friends will be held at Ocean View Cemetery on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 1 p.m.
Please sign the guest book at www.times-standard.com, click on obits.
Published in Eureka Times-Standard
__________________________________________________ __________________________
He witnessed the best Steelhead and salmon fly fishing the north coast of California had to offer.
I received this information and photo in an email from my good friend Val Atkinson:
http://www.valatkinson.com/
Born at Bucksport on December 3, 1908 to Richard and Nettie Rossig, Nelson Rossig passed away Saturday, September 11, 2010 at his home in Eureka. He was an Elder of the Wiyot tribe. As a young boy he was taught to fish and hunt by his Uncle Jerry James. He enjoyed every kind of bounty the waters of the north coast have to offer. Crab, mussels, abalone, eels, and of course salmon and Steelhead are just some of the treasures he enjoyed. He got his first taste of fly fishing as a teenager with Joe Dickerson and developed his talent into an art form he enjoyed all his life. Not only did he tie his own flies, but he had an innate ability to 'read' the river and know exactly where to cast his fly. As a young man he went into the refrigeration business in San Francisco but as rewarding as that business was, he longed to be closer to the rivers he grew up on and in 1947, he moved back to Eureka to make his home with his wife, Emily. He worked as a longshoreman for many years, retiring at the age of 65 to enjoy his fly fishing hobby full time. Nelson served on the Humboldt County Grand Jury and also served on the Fish and Game Advisory Committee. He will always be known as an advocate for local fishermen and for fighting to maintain access to the rivers for sportsmen. Nelson was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Emily Jane Wilson Rossig. He is survived by his niece Claire Vinson and her husband Eddie Vinson of Buda, Texas, who served as his dedicated caregivers for the last four months of his life. He is also survived by his sister, Irene Carlson, his sister-in-law, Leta Wilson, his nieces and nephews: Velva Angell, Henry Cooper, Albert James II, Myra Lamberson Lowe, Fred Lamberson, Jr., Colleen Guido, Dorothy Long, Elmer Rossig, Bill Rossig, Emil Pawlus, Richard Pawlus, Jill Kovacovich, Susan Hubbard, Rew E. Wilson, Sam Wilson, Shawn Wilson, Nancy Kelly Stevens, Kacey Kelly Davis, Patrick Kelly, Jennifer Wilson Chapman, Carolyn Wilson Crnich, Jeffrey Wilson, Christopher G. Wilson, and his Godson, Paul Angell as well as three more generations of nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind a whole river bar full of fishing buddies including Forrest Willis, Harold Neville, and Conrad Calimpong who comforted and amused him with fishing memories during his last months. Special thanks also to the members of the Yurok Tribe who so generously sent acorns, smoked salmon, eels and sturgeon when those were the only things Nelson wanted to eat. A graveside service for his family and friends will be held at Ocean View Cemetery on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 1 p.m.
Please sign the guest book at www.times-standard.com, click on obits.
Published in Eureka Times-Standard
__________________________________________________ __________________________
He witnessed the best Steelhead and salmon fly fishing the north coast of California had to offer.
I received this information and photo in an email from my good friend Val Atkinson:
http://www.valatkinson.com/