Nelson James White arrived in our lives on a late winter morning in 1989, along with a bit of snow and much joy. He was an easy baby, sleeping through the night almost immediately, with a sweet & mellow disposition. Those who know & love Nelson know that his disposition never really changed, even during adversity. After graduating from Redmond High School in 2007, Nelson left the suburbs for Seattle and never looked back. Working primarily in the food service industry, he developed a close cadre of friends and co-workers who have played together and stayed together. He built his community around his joy for work, skateboarding, music, online gaming and a life-affirming sense of adventure. Early in 2018 we learned that Nelson had a significant heart problem which eventually resulted in two, 2021, open heart surgeries. The first surgery took place in March of 2021, when a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) was implanted to keep him going until transplant. Nelson received his donor heart on July 15, 2021. From the time he was hospitalized in late 2020 (during Covid), and throughout setbacks, surgeries and complications, he never complained, and he never displayed a ‘why me?’ attitude. He was simply thankful. Thankful for the exceptional care he received from the UW medical staff, and incredibly grateful to the young man (and his family) who gave the ultimate gift. A healthy, life-giving heart. With renewed health, Nelson resumed his life in Seattle with gusto. In a lovely twist of fate Nelson met Keana (the woman who stepped into his job at the restaurant where he’d been working) and they became a couple in 2022. They, along with Keana’s Boston Terrier Islay, became a family of three and shared a cozy apartment in north Seattle. Nelson’s medical situation seemed stable, so the sudden stopping of his heart was a tremendous shock to all of us. While we had hoped for many more years with Nelson, we rejoice in the extra years we got and in knowing that his post-transplant years with Keana have been the best years of his life. An outpouring of love from his extended family of friends, neighbors and relatives has been tremendously healing as well. Nelson is survived by his one true love, Keana Hancock, dad Robert White, stepmom Laura White, mom Muriel McCarty, stepdad Mark McCarty, sister Sydney Picard, brother-in-law Rudolph Picard, niece Naomi Picard, nephew August Picard, stepsisters Kelsey McCarty & Rachel Nyquist, stepbrothers Kyle McCarty and Fred Nyquist, 15 aunts and uncles, 15 first cousins and an unlimited number of close friends that include Jesse Nelson of Portland, OR. Nelson was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents, and two uncles. A celebration of Nelson’s life is being planned for an (as yet) unknown date in 2025. In lieu of flowers, our family encourages you to share with us a favorite memory and/or send a donation to the Heart Transplant Fund in Nelson’s name at UW Medicine Advancement.