Wayne Floyd Nelson
August 17, 1945 ~ December 16, 2020
On Wednesday, December 16, 2020, Wayne Floyd Nelson, loving husband and father of two, passed away at the age of 75. Wayne was born on August 17, 1945 to Enis and Floyd Nelson In Leland, MI. He received his degree from his beloved University of Michigan on 1967, then immediately joined the United States Air Force. Soon after, Wayne married the love of his life, Martha Wells (Marti) in Detroit, Michigan on June 19, 1967. The couple delivered their first child, Carey Nelson Burch, in the United Kingdom, followed by the birth of their son, Trevor Prescott Nelson, in San Antonio, Texas.
Wayne began his very successful career as Financial Advisor in 1975, working 42 of his 45 years in the business with Merrill Lynch in Washington, DC. During this time, he wrote four books, one of which was a NY Times Bestseller, hosted a weekly radio show, was a regular contributor to various magazines, and had periodic appearances on the Today Show as a financial expert.
Wayne and Marti enjoyed a loving marriage where they shared many passions through the years, which included traveling around the world, sailing, golf, fine dining, scuba diving and even learning how to pilot aircraft.
Wayne is survived by his wife, Dr. Marti Nelson, two children; Carey and Trevor, his four grandchildren; Hunter, Kendall, Alex, and Sophie, his brother and sister; Larry and Paula, along with several nieces and nephews.
A limited Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, December 29, 2020, from 11:00-12:00 at Money and King in Vienna, VA. Due to the current conditions, this service will have limited in person attendance, but a Live Stream viewing will be available.
https://www.moneyandking.com/obituaries/Wayne-Floyd-Nelson?obId=19395493#/obituaryInfo
In lieu of flowers, any donations to Covid relief funds would be appreciated.
Wayne began his very successful career as Financial Advisor in 1975, working 42 of his 45 years in the business with Merrill Lynch in Washington, DC. During this time, he wrote four books, one of which was a NY Times Bestseller, hosted a weekly radio show, was a regular contributor to various magazines, and had periodic appearances on the Today Show as a financial expert.
Wayne and Marti enjoyed a loving marriage where they shared many passions through the years, which included traveling around the world, sailing, golf, fine dining, scuba diving and even learning how to pilot aircraft.
Wayne is survived by his wife, Dr. Marti Nelson, two children; Carey and Trevor, his four grandchildren; Hunter, Kendall, Alex, and Sophie, his brother and sister; Larry and Paula, along with several nieces and nephews.
A limited Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday, December 29, 2020, from 11:00-12:00 at Money and King in Vienna, VA. Due to the current conditions, this service will have limited in person attendance, but a Live Stream viewing will be available.
https://www.moneyandking.com/obituaries/Wayne-Floyd-Nelson?obId=19395493#/obituaryInfo
In lieu of flowers, any donations to Covid relief funds would be appreciated.
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Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this difficult time. Lots of love, The Spolar’s (Matthew, Karen, Luke, and Paula).
May these trees serve as a reminder of the wonderful footprint Wayne has left behind. Nothing and no one really leaves us. May his memory be eternal.
With heartfelt love & sympathy to Marti, Carey, Trevor, & the extended Nelson Family. Wishing we could be there to grieve with you. Prayers to all.
Wayne’s name and proceeding last name’s legacy is a motivation of mine to succeed in my business. His name is synonymous with the highest level of achievement in our industry. always has, always will. Having never spent much time speaking w/ Wayne since i joined his office in 2013, I am filled w/ regret at not getting a chance to learn from him. My deepest condolences to his large surviving family and friend group. he will truly be missed. Regards, Michael Abbenante Merrill Lynch – Wild Kingdom
Wayne was one of the sweetest souls I’ve ever known. I am and will be eternally grateful for the privilege and pleasure of his friendship. —Ken DeCell
For more than three decades Wayne gave me consistent good advice and was always an individual who practiced his trade with goodwill and kindness. Over the years we became friends through conversations about politics, business and personal ethics. He had assembled a team who supported him and his clients with efficiency and friendly assistance. I will truly miss his expertise and cheerful guidance. My husband Jack and I send heartfelt condolences to his family. Isobel Olcott
I will miss Wayne’s sage financial advice and calmness in financial storms and his travel recommendations.
Wayne was a kind and generous man, with positivity and optimism which defined his persona. He was insightful, worked hard and celebrated life. He loved his family, especially his dear Marti. We were next door neighbors for over 30 years, and there are many stories, but I will never forget when Wayne and Marti renewed their wedding vows at their Great Falls home, over 20 years ago. Such a tribute to love. We are so sorry for your loss, Marti, Carey and Trevor. The Palumbo family.
My deepest sympathy to Wayne’s family, friends, and coworkers. If my sadness as a client is as great as it is, I know yours is much, much greater. Wayne was my financial advisor for decades, my parents’ before me. I owe much to his smart advice and have appreciated his willingness to answer questions and listen to concerns throughout our journey. It is rare for me to say this about someone in a business situation: I trusted Wayne. I will miss his kind and patient manner and the rare, shared chuckle. He seemed like a fine person. It is difficult to contemplate a future without him.
Cary and I enjoyed getting to know Wayne and sharing dinner with him. We are sorry that there will not be more opportunities. Love to his family.
Wayne was the most kind, supportive and generous person that I have ever met throughout my career. My thoughts are with Marti and her family.
Dear Marti, Carey and Trevor, my sincere condolences on your deep, deep loss. I am so grateful for having spent such formative years under Wayne’s guidance. He is someone I think of often when it comes to my career and how to enjoy all that life has to offer. I wish you peace during this time of loss. God bless Wayne. Michael and Kathy Kirvan
Wayne assisted the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) with our investments for many years. We always had complete confidence in Wayne’s expertise. And we also enjoyed his kindness, good humor, and warmth. When he learned I was a baseball (Nats) fan, he started sending me emails about the latest goings on with Nats players or about stories of other greats or worsts – e.g., the worst player trades of all time! What great guy. I will miss him so. – Paul Kealey, NLIHC
My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time. I had the privilege of working with Wayne -his warm smile and kindness will be missed.
I’m so sad to express my condolences for Marti and Wayne’s family. Wayne was the most ethical, kind and generous person that I ever met in business. He was a joy and it was an honor to work with him. It was a privilege to be able spend time with Wanye and Marti and see the wonderful relationship they had together. Wayne has shaped the way that I view the world when I travel and I still say “What would Wayne do” when traveling and the answer always helps. I hope we all can find a way to cope with this incredible loss. Wayne will always be in our memory.
Remembering you and “Wayne Nelson” in our minds and in our hearts.
Marti I was saddened to learn of Wayne’s sudden and unexpected departure from this world of ours. He was such a larger-than-life presence. I know first hand how life-altering the passing of one’s soulmate can be. We share this unwanted connection. I would like you to know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family today. If I can be of any help in the days to come, please don’t hesitate to call. For my part, I will be in touch in the near future. With deepest sympathy, Kathy Butler
Wayne was introduced to me by mutual friends when I was a very young oncologist. He was younger than I was but I thought he was interesting and talked about things he loved to do plus I liked his ideas about managing my small account. Although we were never friends, he was always there when I had questions and he always suggested things for my review. When I lost my first wife ans remarried, Wayne was very open and honest about his advice. Myra, my second wife, and I scheduled occasional meetings with him and he would tell us, when asked, about Marti and his past and upcoming travel plans and restaurant adventures. We will miss seeing and talking with him. Our last conversation was when he was at the airport leaving with Marti for Mexico. His last words for me were, “Enjoy your life!” Wayne, wherever you are, thank you for everything and enjoy your next trip! To Marti and his children, we hope you find comfort in the memories and love and friendship of people whose lives he has touched .
Wayne was introduced to me by mutual friends when I was a very young oncologist. He was younger than I was but I thought he was interesting and talked about things he loved to do plus I liked his ideas about managing my small account. Although we were never friends, he was always there when I had questions and he always suggested things for my review. When I lost my first wife ans remarried, Wayne was very open and honest about his advice. Myra, my second wife, and I scheduled occasional meetings with him and he would tell us, when asked, about Marti and his past and upcoming travel plans and restaurant adventures. We will miss seeing and talking with him. Our last conversation was when he was at the airport leaving with Marti for Mexico. His last words for me were, “Enjoy your life!” Wayne, wherever you are, thank you for everything and enjoy your next trip! To Marti and his children, we hope you find comfort in the memories and love and friendship of people whose lives he has touched .
Wayne was first our parents/in-laws financial advisor and then ours as well. For us we have known him and his high integrity , character, expertise, guardian of our financial well being, humor, and friendship for 25+ years. We will miss him dearly.
Wayne was a great boss and a good friend. I will miss him. He was kind and caring and thoughtful. He loved life and he spread joy to so many people – family, friends, his clients, and people he met casually. I remember he would come back from a cab ride from meeting with a client and he’d have a long story about the cab driver’s life, or a CD the cab driver made. He really enjoyed people. When Wayne bought a boat, he became the Commodore of the yacht club. He would send out newsletters and arrange parties. When Wayne wrote about Virginia wines for Washingtonian magazine, he arranged parties at beautiful restaurants. He always wanted people to have fun. There are so many good memories I have of Wayne.
In memory of Wayne and in thanks for his friendship.
Dear Marti, Carey & Trevor, Sending our deepest condolences for your loss of Wayne. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
Thinking of Wayne today and his extreme generosity – especially at Christmas – and want to send my condolences to Trevor and Carey and Marti. I will always remember Wayne as a smart, dedicated, interesting and encouraging boss and mentor. Sending good thoughts to you all.