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POYNETTE - Jack Richard Nielsen, age 77, of Poynette, passed away on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at UW Hospital. He was born on Aug. 2, 1946, in Racine, Wis., the son of Christian and Margaret (Nelson) Nielsen.

Jack graduated from Union Grove High School in 1964, UW-Madison in agriculture in 1979 and later from MATC in Police Science. After high school, he served in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at KI Sawyer Air Force Base in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Jack married his high school sweetheart, Martha Hurley, on June 24, 1967, in Union Grove, Wis. He started working for the Madison Police Department in 1971 and retired as a detective in 1999. He was proud of his career and the impact he had on the youth in the area. He couldn’t stay retired for long, he spent nine years as a courier for Johnson Bank. In 2004, he started a family trucking business which ran until 2011, when he retired again to enjoy his grandchildren and farm.

In his younger years, Jack enjoyed playing softball and racquetball. After his first retirement, he became active in Civil War reenactment with his sons and friends, and he was also a sci-fi and classic horror movie enthusiast. Jack was an avid sportsman and passionate about conservation and wildlife management, which was always his focus. He had the desire to own his own farm, where he could plant trees, hunt and fish.

Jack is survived by his wife, Martha; children, Scott (Angie) Nielsen, Ruth (Joshua) Prior, Paula Gardiner and Richard (Ashley) Nielsen; 13 grandchildren, Matthew, Jaybin, Jackson, Makenna and Maysa Nielsen, Trey (Allysha), Jazmyn, Cole (Kelsey) and Alana Prior, Allison, Wesley Gardiner, and Jeremiah and Harlan Nielsen; great-granddaughter, Vivienne Prior; brother, Larry (Mary Jo) Nielsen; and sister-in-law, Jill Nielsen. He was preceded in death by his parents; and brother, David Nielsen.

A memorial service will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, 2024, with Chaplain Sharon Bleam presiding. A visitation will be held at the funeral home from 1 p.m. until the time of the service on Thursday.

The family would like to thank the staff of Oak Park Place and UW Hospital, for all of their wonderful care and support given to Jack and his family.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420

Jack Richard Nielsen

August 02, 1946 - March 23, 2024

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