Robert B. Nissen

Robert “Bob” B. Nissen, age 80 of Fordyce, Nebraska died on Saturday, December 28, 2024 at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, SD.

 Mass of Christian Burial will be on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fordyce with the Rev. Jim Keiter officiating. Burial of his cremated remains will be at St. John the Baptist Cemetery in Fordyce. Visitation will be on Monday, January 6th at church, from 5-7:00 p.m. with a Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation resumes one hour prior to services on Tuesday. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Hartington.

Robert Burnell was born on Friday, February 18, 1944 in Yankton, SD to Carl Henry and Bernice Angeline (Sivertson) Nissen. He was the middle of three Nissen children. Robert was baptized on May 14, 1944 in the Trondhjem Lutheran Church, rural Volin, SD and was confirmed on May 17, 1959 at the Zion Lutheran Church in rural Volin. Bob attended first grade in Gayville, SD and then went to the Lindberg country school in rural Volin until the eighth grade when the Lindberg School was closed. He then attended the Irene, SD school from the eighth grade until halfway through his sophomore year in high school when he left school. He later obtained his GED diploma from Western Iowa Tech in Sioux City, Iowa.

 As a teenager, he helped his father and grandfather on the family farm. Later, he worked at a honey plant in Marion, SD, then at the bakery at the Human Services Center in Yankton, SD before starting his life-long career as a carpenter and cabinet maker. He married Pamela Jane Kneifl of Hartington, Ne on Saturday, March 27, 1965 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Yankton. He was baptized there into the Catholic faith on January 19, 1966.

 The Nissen family lived in the Yankton area for several years and three of their five children were born there. They moved to Sioux City, Iowa in 1969 where the other two children were born. In February of 1978 they moved to southern California where he worked as a cabinet maker and a very skilled finish carpenter. His work can be found in many restaurants, hotels, and casinos all over the southwest including Disneyland. In June of 1992 they moved back to “God’s country” and settled in Fordyce, NE. He worked for Welfl Construction until opening his own cabinet shop in Yankton. He has done work for several businesses in the area and also worked on restoring “Old Main” on the University of South Dakota campus in Vermillion.

 Bob retired in 2004 and found that he enjoyed working around the house and yard and doing small projects. He also bought a 1951 Farmall tractor in 2007 which he restored. He enjoyed driving it in various parades and tractor rides for several years until he sold it a few years ago. Robert was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic church and Tri-State Old Iron Tractor Club. He enjoyed his many friends and his family was a special joy to him.

 Robert is survived by his wife Pamela of 59 years of Fordyce; his four children Michelle Nissen and Brenda Nissen of Long Beach, CA, Angela (Ed) Brescia of Torrance, CA, Robert Nissen of Yankton, SD; several grandchildren Heather Johnson of Oklahoma city, OK, Donald (Kristen) St. Aubin of Fredericksburg, VA, Johnathan Shaffier of Davenport, Iowa, Ed Brescia of CA, Veronica (Tony) Serrato of Apple Valley, CA, Izabella Nissen and Elizabeth Nissen of Yankton, SD, as well as six great grandchildren – Claire and Daniel Johnson, Ava and Maisie Shaffier, Tony and Grant Serrato; a sister Mary Ellen Nielsen of Sioux Falls, SD; a brother James (Deb) Nissen of Steinbach of Manitoba, Canada; as well as two aunts and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

 Robert was preceded in death by his daughter, Lori Luchau, his parents Henry and Bernice Nissen; parents-in-law Roy (Rose) Kneifl, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a nephew.