Former Edgewater Councilor and Mayor Nelson McNulty
Nelson McNulty, longtime Edgewater resident and community leader, passed away at the age of 81 at his home in Lakewood on December 12, 2022 from Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia. Nelson was born on April 21, 1941 in Kansas City, Missouri. Nelson and his wife Bonnie were married 61 years. Nelson is survived by wife Bonnie as well as two sisters and one brother. Nelson and Bonnie have four children; Jon, Scott, Terri and Daniel, and their spouses, as well as two grandchildren, Lili and Finnigan.
We also wanted include an excerpt (below) from an interview with Nelson and Bonnie done by Dominque Skeehan, which will appear in an upcoming Edgewater history book.
Nelson and Bonnie arrived in Edgewater in 1963. Their first residence was a basement apartment on 22nd and Ames Street. In 1968 they bought the southeast corner home on 25th and Depew and lived there for 53 years until 2021. Nelson had his own business at this location. He designed and assembled high end electronics and scientific instruments that sold worldwide. He also repaired and serviced lab equipment and tools.
Nelson and Bonnie shared an interest in community service, and each held positions in the city over the years, including Mayor. Nelson’s primary motivation was great frustration and run around with the city about permitting and installing fire detectors in the Methodist Church where they had a childcare service. “I just exploded. I’d had enough and decided to run for city council.” First, he was appointed to Planning and Zoning, then made City Council. Nelson stepped into the role of mayor in 1985 after Rex Swann resigned due to a new job. He tried to add a personal touch as mayor concentrating on public relations and communication. For example, follow up on calls or make personal visits to resident homes to discuss a complaint or explain an ordinance. Nelson was on council in the early 1980’s when the plans started for the Edgewater Marketplace (20th and Benton) and was mayor at the time of completion. Also, Nelson took time to go to Edgewater Elementary School to visit and tutor. He would see Principal Bill Jolly throwing baseballs with the kids on his way in to teach five students at a time on how to make wooden toys with real tools. Younger kids would love it when he would go skating and could carry two kids on each arm!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McNulty family.
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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