Visitation will be 4:00-8:00p.m. Friday at the Tyler Area Funeral Home.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday .  Interment is in Danebod Lutheran Cemetery.  Stephens Funeral Service – Tyler Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Virgil Nielsen was born October 18, 1939 on the family farm in rural Tyler to H. Chris and Cumal (Kuhlman) Nielsen and spent most of his life on that farm.  He graduated from Morris Agricultural School in Morris, Minnesota.   Virgil entered the U.S. Navy on September 26, 1957 serving as a 3rd class radarman.  He won the expert rifleman medal in a competition across all military branches and was honorably discharged October 6, 1960.   On September 5, 1965 Virgil was united in marriage to Donna Rae Simmons in White, South Dakota. Virgil was a proud lifelong farmer.  He served on the Ruthton school board for many years and a short time on the Tyler school board.  He was an innovative thinker, and his mind was always working. He loved state fairs and eating at various restaurants.  He enjoyed attending many of his grandchildren’s activities, loved target shooting and with his continued expert marksmanship taught his children to shoot.  Virgil had a deep faith and accepted Christ in the late l970’s at a Lowell Lundstrom Crusade.
Virgil is survived by his children: Darron Nielsen of Irving, TX, Greg (Laura) Nielsen of Champlin, MN, Cindy (Jason) Anderson of Victoria, MN and Angie Nielsen of Minneapolis; grandchildren: Joseph and Abigail Nielsen, Lexi, Payton and Ethan Anderson; Siblings: JoAnn (Doc) Klein of Lake Benton, Curtis (Ruth) Nielsen of Marion, SD.

He is preceded in death by his parents and wife Donna in 2004.