South Jordan, Utah -
Eric ”Lenny” Nielsen, son of Mike and Carolyn Nielsen of West Jordan, Utah, passed away on Friday, June 2, 2023 at the age of 37. He was born September 16, 1985, in Murray, Utah as the youngest of four children. He grew up in a close-knit family working and playing on his grandparent's farm with cousins and aunts and uncles. There he learned the value of hard work and the importance of family. Thanks to his mother and her influence he became an Eagle Scout faster than either of his brothers, of which he was quite proud. He attended and graduated from West Jordan High School and continued at Salt Lake Community College before moving to Georgia to attend Kennesaw State University to study mechanical engineering. He worked as a mechanic with his father for several years and then worked for Subaru and Mercedes dealerships in Georgia and Sandy, Utah.
He was quite an outdoorsman and loved collecting and working on cars, rock crawling, and four-wheeling. He started soccer at a young age and played all through school and into adulthood, he loved snowboarding and spent a lot of time on the mountain. His nieces and nephews will remember him as the fun uncle that was goofy and loved to tease, he had no problem making himself look silly to make people laugh. He was service oriented and was known to stop and help anybody.
He married Mikaela Crane in September 2011 and later they had a son, Broghan. Once Eric became a father his softer side came out and we saw how attentive and loving he was. His son was his whole world and he loved him with all his heart. Broghan is his little “mini-me” and always sports a backward baseball cap just like his daddy. Eric was known for his signature red hair and matching beard and was quite proud of his Scottish heritage, it was not uncommon to see him in his kilt at important family events. He loved going to Richfield and creating memories with his girlfriend Ali, who brought a smile to his face at the mere mention of her name. His dimples wouldn’t let him hide his feelings. It was beautiful to see the love they had for each other. He will be missed by all who knew him
He is survived by his parents Michael and Carolyn Nielsen, Siblings: Steven (Kristen) Nielsen, Kristen (Rusty) Hughes, Paul (Heidi) Nielsen, his son Broghan and Broghan’s mother Mikaela Nielsen, and “his person” Ali Engel as well as 18 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his four grandparents and two uncles.
A memorial will be held in his honor Sunday, June 11, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. at 8950 South 1300 West, West Jordan, Utah. There will be a visitation with the family from 5:00-6:00 p.m. that evening.
You may also join us on zoom for the memorial service at the following link.
https://zoom.us/j/97357529158?pwd=bmJYbDY0dEVKclVNRUpxcXFvbmdrdz09