John Alan Neilson's Obituary
Dallas native and longtime Huntington Beach, Calif., resident John Alan Neilson died in his sleep May 23 from ventricular fibrillation. He was 75.
A musician from an early age, John played drums in several bands during the 1980s and 90s, including Nickels and Dimes and Backseat Boogie.
In November 1984, while playing at Johanna's in Costa Mesa, Calif., he met Marian Wolff. They married in 1985 and had two children Justin Samuel Neilson in 1987 and Angela Faye Neilson in 1994.
John was born in Dallas in 1949 to Oleta Ruth Neilson (Pilgrim), a homemaker, and Samuel Lester Neilson Jr., a building contractor. He was named valedictorian of MacArthur High School's class of 1967 and studied electrical engineering at Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Austin.
He played the trumpet in high school and gravitated to the drums after being influenced by the style of Buddy Rich. Over the years, John gained an encyclopedic knowledge of music and collected instruments and vintage stereo components.
John worked for Pioneer Electronics USA in Texas before being transferred to the company's Long Beach, Calif., offices in 1982. His career at Pioneer ended in 2009 when the company cut 10,000 jobs after suffering a loss reported at $1.4 billion.
He excelled at snow skiing, tennis and billiards where he commonly held the table for hours to the frustration of many who tried to beat him.
He remained a loyal Dallas Cowboys fan while living in Southern California.
John loved the San Bernardino Mountain communities, especially Green Valley Lake where he owned two homes, one of which was destroyed in the Slide Fire that burned 275 structures in 2007.
In addition to his wife Marian of 39 years, son Justin and daughter Angela, Neilson is survived by a grandson Flight Neilson, a half-sister, one cousin, two nephews and a niece. His older brother Samuel III passed in 2012.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Restland Memorial Park on Thursday August 1 at 2pm where his ashes will be buried next to his parents and brother.
What’s your fondest memory of John?
What’s a lesson you learned from John?
Share a story where John's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with John you’ll never forget.
How did John make you smile?
