Allen Nelson

Allen J. Nelson, 47, of Saipan, died Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016.

A celebration of his life was held Monday, Nov. 28, in Saipan. A celebration of life for family and friends in the United States will be held Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, at the home of his sister, Kay Evanovich.

Mr. Nelson was born Jan. 19, 1969. He married Christine Strong in 2005 in Jamaica.

His childhood was spent growing up in the Midwest, doing all things Midwestern: collecting Tonka trucks, playing T-ball, skateboarding in the driveway, and skipping a few high school classes. After graduation he headed west, working at odd jobs and meeting other adventure-seekers in the wilderness of Alaska and Montana. He attended Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon. Upon graduation he moved to Chicago where, in 1999, he met the love of his life and future wife, Christine Strong. The couple?s careers took them to Madison, Wisconsin; London, England; Portland, Maine; and most recently, Saipan. He was an avid hiker and explorer and an enthusiastic cyclist, and sought adventure at every turn. He never stopped reading or learning. He bungee-jumped from the highest bridges in North America and became a certified scuba diver, to experience life in the sea. He spent time working at the Musee d?Orsay in Paris, and had the honor of attending a party for the Queen Mother at the Clarence House in London, where he met Prince Charles. His idea of vacation was a tree house in Nicaragua, a sailboat in the Atlantic, a public bathhouse in Morocco, a tent on an uninhabited island. He and his wife visited five continents and 35 countries, creating many priceless memories.

Surviving are his wife, Christine Strong; his mother, Nancy Nelson Bernau; three sisters, Shelly Ledger and husband Bob, Lori Doering and husband Matt, and Kay Evanovich; several nieces and nephews; and one great-nephew.

He was preceded in death by his father, Nolan; and his brother-in-law and great friend, Joe Evanovich III.