Damon Paul Nelson

On Saturday, November 10, 2018, Damon P. Nelson passed away at the age of 46. Damon was born in Long Beach, California and grew up in Tulare. Damon graduated from Tulare Union High School, Tulare, CA and attended the College of the Sequoias, San Joaquin Valley, CA before enlisting in the US Air Force.

In the Air Force he served as an in-flight refueling specialist (boom operator) and flew in the Persian Gulf War. There he earned an Air Medal and three Air Achievement Medals. This is also where he met his wife Dana. They crewed together for years before he left the Air Force to continue his education.  He was proud to call himself a boom operator. 

Following his military service, Damon earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Maryland. He then moved to England, where he earned a Master’s degree in International Relations and served on the staff of Member of Parliament Malcolm Moss.

Damon later became a mainstay on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where he was widely known among Members of Congress, staff members, reporters and many political organizations. In 2003 he joined newly elected California congressman Devin Nunes, a fellow Tulare Union high school graduate, as his legislative director and later became deputy chief of staff. In 2015 Damon joined the House Intelligence Committee and in 2016 was named staff director, placing him in charge of the entire committee staff. Damon served as staff director during a period when the committee was the focus of sustained national and international attention connected to its investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Damon was well-known for helping interns and young college graduates find jobs on Capitol Hill. There is now virtually a legion of congressional staffers in D.C. who launched their careers thanks to calls, advice, and recommendations from Damon. Even while he was the lead staffer on a committee immersed in the media and political spotlight, he still made time to help these young people, who appreciated Damon’s approachability and his unfailing sense of humor.  

Damon had a tremendous sense of adventure and loved to travel. He and his wife traveled to renowned world capitals, various remote islands and had a goal to visit every continent. His work also gave him the opportunity to see parts of the world most people don’t normally visit. In addition to travel, he had a wide array of hobbies—he enjoyed scuba diving and theater for a time, and had a long-lasting interest in astronomy. Damon also enjoyed home improvement projects, cultivating the unusual hobby of refinishing antique English furniture. Having developed a lifelong love of candy, he was known for leaving a trail of empty wrappers in his wake.  

Damon will be remembered with abiding love by Dana, his wife of 24 years, his mother Beverly Ashton and stepfather Neal Vickers, brother Donald Nelson III and wife Becky, and niece and nephew Rebecca and Garrett Nelson. Damon was also godfather to Landon Jenkins and Franki White.

In addition to his immediate family, Damon also leaves to mourn, aunts, uncles and cousins, his in-laws' family, his legislative family, and hoards of friends in the U.S. and in other countries.

Although there will not be a public funeral service, a scholarship fund in Damon’s honor is being established for graduates of Tulare Union High School to attend the College of the Sequoias in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Contributions can be sent to the Damon P. Nelson Memorial Scholarship Fund online at cos.edu/foundation (click on the link, then the yellow “donate” button, then fill out the form, filling in “Damon P. Nelson Scholarship Fund” in the gift designation box). Alternately, checks can be mailed to the Damon P. Nelson Memorial Scholarship Fund, COS Foundation, 915 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia, CA 93277.  









































































































































































































































































































In lieu of flowers






















































































































In lieu of flowers