1952 - 2022

 

John DeChard Nielsen was born on October 18, 1952 in New York City. His father was an international coffee broker and his mother worked for Look Magazine. He had 4 brothers. The family traveled cross country in the mid-1960s. They lived on Michelle Way and then built their family home on the ten acres they purchased on Chalk Hill Rd. John’s father, besides being in the coffee business, bought and fixed up homes.

John attended Piner High School in Santa Rosa and later attended Sonoma State University where he received a BA in Computer Science. John was also a professional pianist who wrote his own music. His father bought him a Bussendorfer grand piano, which John treasured. The family always had birds, and John had twin Macaws named Ray & Charles - characters to say the least!

John lived on the family property as its custodian until passing on December 8, 2022, having lived a full and exciting life with his music, traveling, and his longtime companion Karen.