Oscar died of asphyxiation at a tourist cabin in Sedalia MO. He and Oscar Hagstrom were there to look at some farmland that was for sale. A gas stove used for heating the cabin was faulty. Both men died. A double funeral was held in the Swedeburg Mission Covenant Church, and nearly 1000 people attended. Two pastors were there. One addressed the Nelson family and the other the Hagstrom family.