Hans Peter Nelson
Southampton summer resident Hans Peter Nelson died on June 8 at his Southampton home, following an 11-month battle with brain cancer. He was 61.
Born July 17, 1948, in Kochel am See, Germany, to Inge (née Spengler) and Hans Nelson, Mr. Nelson spent time working in London, England, after completing his studies in Germany.
In 1982, he moved to the United States, where he worked as an executive vice-president with the Asbach liquor company. In 1991, he founded Niche Import Co., an importer of international wines and spirits, currently based in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey.
The success of his firm allowed Mr. Nelson to combine several of his passions: the search for and distribution of high quality international wines and spirits, spending time with family, traveling the globe, and German-American causes. He was a very active part of the German community in the United States and was a distinguished member of the board of the Liederkranz Foundation in New York City. He was a major supporter of the German-American Steuben Parade, among many other events and associations throughout the country.
He married Terri Nelson in a ceremony at St. Andrew’s Dune Church in Southampton on September 22, 2000. Together, they enjoyed making trips to such exotic locales as Thailand, Colombia and Europe as well as his beach house in Southampton.
Most recently, the couple crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II and spent several weeks at their European home in Wiesbaden, Germany; their principal place of residence was in Madison, New Jersey, not far from the Niche headquarters.
An avid collector, Mr. Nelson created dozens of scrapbooks chronicling his vast life experience and dating back to the time before his parents were born. He was also a keen golfer and swimmer.
Survivors said Mr. Nelson had a dry sense of humor and was a fine and gracious host to his many friends from around the world who visited often. He frequently welcomed young men and women eager to learn about the liquor business who would routinely spend a summer interning at Niche and living with Mr. Nelson’s family.
Diagnosed with cancer of the brain in the form of a glioblastoma in July of 2009, Mr. Nelson, despite the terminal nature of the disease, embraced life and continued to work and spend time traveling and with his family, friends and his black Labrador, Maxie, family said.
Mr. Nelson is survived by his wife, Terri Nelson (née Tarataglione), and a son, Matthew Nelson, 21, both of New Jersey and Southampton; two cousins, Jutta Schmidt Scharff and her husband Walter, and Monica and her husband Helmut; his mother-in-law, Victoria Michel of New Jersey; a brother-in-law, Robert Valois and his wife Suzanne and their children Kady and Ellie, all of North Carolina; a sister-in-law, Nancy Tartaglione and her partner Alasdair Moore of France and England; and a goddaughter, Carolin Erdrich of Germany.
A memorial service was held on June 12 at the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Paul in New York City. Interment was at Wiesbaden in Kochel am See, Germany. Services were under the direction of the O’Connell Funeral Home in Southampton.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, c/o Brain Tumor Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 would be appreciated by the family.
on Jun 16, 2010