Hobert “Hobie” Nils Nelson

“The cop who caught crooks with his pencil not his gun”

Hobie’s physical presence left us on May 25, 2017. His valiant spirit and integrity of character will remain forever.

Born November 16, 1923, in Sweden, to Nils Adolf Nilsson and Karin Olsson Nilsson. Hobie, at age 4, with his parents and younger sister, May, immigrated to the United States in 1927. They had been told jobs were plentiful. No one knew the Great Depression would soon occur.

Settling in San Francisco, Hobie attended schools in the Mission District, later SF City College, earning an AA degree, courses included criminology and art. Speaking no English when entering kindergarten and no special language instruction available, he learned English rapidly.

Tragedy struck when Hobie was 12. His father left for work and never returned, a mystery to this day. Finances worsened, the emotional impact everlasting. Hobie watched his courageous mother support the struggling family. She became his role model and inspiration. Giving up was not an option. Hobie, too, began to work any job that would help.

He spent many summers in San Joaquin Valley on a farm owned by a Swedish family. He benefited from the hard farm work, appreciated the work ethics of his hosts, and always looked forward to “barefoot” summers there. The family’s son, a year younger than Hobie, became his lifelong friend.

At 16, Western Union hired him at 25 cents an hour to deliver telegrams, sometimes singing ones. It was fortunate that from the night he arrived in SF when his welcoming relatives insisted that he sing the Swedish song “Halsa dem dar Hemma”. With natural ability, an appreciation of music, and some training, he later sang at most family gatherings, parties of friends, and sometimes with small bands. Working for Western Union, he left school at 3:00pm and delivered telegrams until 10:30pm, riding his bicycle up and down the streets of San Francisco. At 17 he bought his first car for $25, a Star. He didn’t know how to drive but quickly taught himself.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hobie, still a Swedish citizen, enlisted in the Army in 1942, serving in General Patton’s 2nd Infantry Division in France, Germany and Czechoslovakia. He was naturalized while in the Army, proud to be a patriotic American defending his adopted country.

The day of his discharge in 1945, Yellow Cab hired him and, again he was traveling up and down the hills of San Francisco, but in a cab, not on a bicycle.

Strolling around town with a friend one night, Big Band music could be heard from a building. Hobie and his friend “crashed” the party. Upon seeing a “very pretty” young woman, Yvonne Patton, across the room, he asked her to dance. They were married six months later in 1946. Son Craig arrived in 1948 and daughter Cathy a few years later.

Newly married, Yvonne and Hobie traveled to Chicago so he could seek additional schooling and career opportunities, but his best friend working for the SF Fire Dept. urged him to return to San Francisco. Hobie began work with the SF Fire Dept. in 1948, serving on the Fire Boat at the Embarcadero. In 1953, he qualified for the SF Police Dept., holding several positions, including 13 years as a motorcycle officer. His police career culminated in his promotion to Inspector in the Homicide Bureau. Interviewing a victim whose description of the suspect was extremely detailed, Hobie, naturally talented and always interested in art, began to sketch the likeness. The sketch matched the assailant when caught. Hobie became the official police sketch artist. He sketched approximately 150 portraits. Upon retirement in 1978, the newspaper described him as “the cop who caught crooks with his pencil not his gun”.

Opportunity occurred during his police career to play various small parts in Hollywood movies filmed in San Francisco, as well as several episodes of the TV series, “The Streets of San Francisco”. His part, a policeman of course.

After retirement, Yvonne and Hobie moved to Sonoma, planted a vineyard, took viticulture classes, traveled extensively, enjoyed old friends, made new friends, acquired a longdesired horse, and an even more desired 1928 Model A Sport Coupe. The golden years began. When Hobie decided to work again, Sonoma County Social Service Dept. hired him as a Welfare Fraud Investigator, retiring a second time after 11 years.

Sadly, Yvonne died suddenly in 1994, a blow that left him grief stricken. They had been married 48 years. His grief was eased when he was asked to fill in as a Criminal Investigator with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

In 1996, Hobie met and later married Olive Robinson. New interests surfaced; golfing, ballroom dancing, traveling, attending church, and joyfully sharing their friends. When Olive discovered that Hobie was an excellent dancer, he was urged to interview for a Cruise Dance Host position. He was accepted and for several years, in his mid and late 70’s, “danced around the world” for different cruise lines.

Hobie’s favorite times were gatherings with friends and the family he loved deeply to share the events of their lives. He remained close to his family in Sweden, visiting there many times and continuing to speak Swedish fluently.

Who could have known when the little Swedish boy arrived in America on his 4th birthday that he would face and overcome hardship, yet achieve such incredible success. As Hobie expressed, he is grateful to his family, friends, the SF Fire Dept., the SF Police Dept., and the “good old USA”.

Surviving are his wife and best friend Olive Robinson, son Craig Nelson, daughter Cathy (Victor Marcelli) Nelson, grandson Neil (Steffi Mandl) Cashman, granddaughter Leslie (Dennis) Jerge, great-grandchildren Jack Jerge, Julia Jerge, Zoe Cashman, brother-inlaw John Cavalli, nephews Steve (Margaret) Cavalli, Bob (Barbara) Cavalli, cousin Barbara Leroux, step-sons Mike (Beth) Purtell, Rob (Cathy) Watson, and other family in the United States and Sweden.

Predeceasing him are his wife Yvonne, parents Adolf and Karin Nilsson, step-father Fred Mickelsson, sister May Cavalli, aunt and uncle Andrew and Annie Nelson, cousins Sylvia Alholm and Bob Nelson.

Affiliations: SF Police Officers Assn., SF Veteran Police Officers Assn., International Police Assn. Region 41, Municipal Motorcycle Officers of California, Citizens Against Homicide, Sonoma County Assn. of retired Employees, Model A Ford Club of America Sonoma A’s, Screen Actors Guild, Kenwood Yacht Club.

Friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Life on Thursday, June 29, 2017 at 11:00AM at Healdsburg Community Church, 1100 University Street, Healdsburg, CA. A reception following at Charlie’s Banquet Facility, Windsor Golf Club, 1320 19th Hole Dr., Windsor, CA. Private inurnment.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association - Research, P.O. Box 96011, Washington D.C., 200906011 or a VA organization of your choice.