KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian will remember longtime Kenosha Water Utility general manager O. Fred Nelson mostly as a friend, but also a visionary.
“I don’t throw that word around lightly,” Antaramian said. “He was a visionary.”
Nelson died on Nov. 13 at the age of 94. A public visitation is taking place from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Kemper Center. A private ceremony will take place on Saturday.
After serving 42 years as general manager at Kenosha Water Utility, the division’s facility on Simmons Island was renamed the O. Fred Nelson Water Production Plant.
“Mr. Nelson was a legend,” Kenosha Water Utility general manager Curt Czarnecki said. “Not only in the Kenosha community, Kenosha Water Utility but the water industry in general. He made kind of lasting impacts well beyond his tenure year.”
The water treatment facility was once the largest microfiltration plants in North America.
It pulls water from Lake Michigan -- one of the world’s largest freshwater supply -- and has continuously produced water that exceeds state standards, according to the annual Consumer Confidence Report.
The facility tests water over 10,000 times per year.
“(Nelson) is and was Kenosha Water Utility,” Antaramian said. “He created this identity in a way that would not be here today without him.”
Nelson was passionate about work and family, according to Czarnecki.
“He couldn’t be prouder about his family,” Czarnecki said. “It kind of sets an example for everyone to obtain. Having that great work-life balance. Taking pride in what you do professionally but also understanding family is important."
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