Mayor Erwin S. Nelson

1931 - 2025  (93 years)

• Name	Erwin S. Nelson
  Prefix	Mayor
  Born	30 Jun 1931	Chesley, Elderslie Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario, Canada
  Gender	Male
  Business	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Erwin S. Nelson Funeral Home
  Elected Office	1959	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Reeve of Hespeler
  Elected Office	1963	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Reeve of Hespeler
  Elected Office	1977	Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Mayor - Cambridge
  Residence	1994	1766 Franklin Blvd., Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-130952
  Died	22 Mar 2025	Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I130952	Generations
  Last Modified	12 May 2025

  
  

  Family	Florence Mae "Florrie" Schmidt,   b. 10 Jan 1932, Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 27 Nov 1994, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 62 years)
  Children	1. Sarah Nelson
  Last Modified	13 May 2025
  Family ID	F58049	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Former Cambridge mayor Erwin Nelson dies Nelson's contributions and service to community 'have become part of the fabric of our city.' mayor says Erwin Nelson, the last surviving member of Cambridge's first city council, has died. The city announced Nelson's death on Wednesday. He died on Saturday at Saint Luke's Place in Hespeler. He was 93. Nelson was a regional councillor from 1975 to 1976, then became mayor of Cambridge from 1977 to 1978. He also ran for the Progressive Conservatives as a candidate. He was part of the process to amalgamate the towns of Hespeler, Galt, Blair and Preston into Cambridge. "Galt, Preston and Hespeler were three municipalities who co-existed beside each other, but it was still separate municipalities geographically and competitively," Nelson said in a 2023 interview with CBC News reflecting on city's 50th anniversary. "We never got along with Galt, we never got along with Preston, but we had to exist because the Ontario government said, 'That's enough of this annexation,'" he said. He said the three towns loved to play hockey against each other. "The penalty box was always full and Friday nights you couldn't get a seat in the Hespeler Arena for minor hockey," he said laughing. Remembered for 'energy and love for Cambridge' Nelson was born in Chesley, Ont., in 1931 and apprenticed at H.K. Stager Funeral Home in Preston after graduating high school, his obituary says. Nelson owned and operated Nelson Funeral Home in Hespeler from 1957 until he retired in 1996. He also volunteered with minor hockey, the Kiwanis club and was a founding president of the board of directors for Saint Luke's Place in 1972. David Bakker, CEO of Saint Luke's Place, said in a release that staff and the board of directors were sad to hear of Nelson's death. "We recognize his original vision to bring long-term care to the Cambridge community and his enduring dream of expanding that care through redevelopment. Our thoughts and prayers are with Erwin's family during this difficult time," Bakker said in a press release from the city Wednesday. Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett said Nelson's contributions and service to the community "have become part of the fabric of our city." "His involvement in business, politics, and volunteerism is a testament to his energy and love for Cambridge. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered," Liggett said in the release. Former Cambridge mayor Erwin Nelson dies | CBC News (2025) CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/former-cambridge-mayor-erwin-nelson-dies-1.7493993 (Accessed: 26 March 2025).

  
  

• Event Map

  Business - Erwin S. Nelson Funeral Home - - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Reeve of Hespeler - 1959 - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Reeve of Hespeler - 1963 - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Mayor - Cambridge - 1977 - Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 22 Mar 2025 - Hespeler (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth