Tate Neilson
Tate Larsen Neilson
September 29, 1978 – October 14, 2013
Tate graduated from Clayton High School in 1997, the Georgia Institute of Technology (Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, 2001) and Washington University (Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, 2004). He did engineering work in St. Louis his entire career: for over six years at Coin Acceptors designing bill acceptor PCBs for vending and amusement machines and sensor boards and magnetic card reader, at Control Microsystems Inc. with fuel tank and washer fluid sensor boards and RFID technology during graduate school as well as recent classified work for the NSA at the Utah Data Center, and most recently for 1 1/2 years at M7 doing pulsed power engineering work with hundreds of thousands of volts of electricity also on a classified project. Tate held a patent for a projecting front portion of a vending machine bezel. In his high school senior yearbook, the quote he chose was Thomas Edison’s “I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.”
Tate enjoyed sailing his entire life beginning with a Pram, racing Sunfish and Thistles, then 420’s and a J24 keelboat at the Georgia Tech Sailing Club. The club raced year round on Lake Lanier and participated in many collegiate regattas throughout the southeast. Lasers, windsurfers, and Hobie 16’s were also available for recreation and racing. Senior year the club chartered a boat and sailed to the Bahamas. In high school he raced competitively on the St. Louis Rowing Club’s team, attending many regattas including the Head of the Schuylkill, one of the premier regattas. Most recently, Tate was a member of two APA pool teams with one team winning the local city championships in 2011 and advancing to the national championship tournament in Las Vegas. He was also a craftsman rehabbing his 1896 Second Empire home on Benton Park.
Tate is survived by his mom Karen Larsen Neilson, brother Drew Larsen Neilson, grandmother, Ginger–Virginia Larsen, all of St. Louis, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins. His dad, George Dennison (Dennie) Neilson, AIA, predeceased him in January of 2012.
A private remembrance gathering will be held November 2, 2013 and private burial will be in the Neilson family plot of Bellefontaine Cemetery.
I loved working with Tate.
He was very professional, and always thorough. He had a wonderful, wry sense of humor.
I know that I, and eveyone here, misses him acutely.
-Michael Hope-
I remember Tate from Meramec Elementary school and how brilliant he was, all through school, as well as how funny and kind. I am so sorry for your loss. Please know you are all in my thoughts and prayers.
I’m so sorry to hear the news about Tate. I have a lot of great memories—all of them include a lot of smiles and laughter—not only from high school, but also visiting him in Atlanta when he was at Georgia Tech and when he came to UF for a regatta. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss and will keep your family in my thoughts…
I am so sorry for your loss. I graduated with Tate from CHS and remember him being very smart and nice. My deepest condolences.
Karen, I am so sorry, I do not have the the words to express my condolences. Be well .
I worked with Tate at Coin Acceptors around 2006, and he was one of my best “work friends” during that time. Very sharp guy, I was always impressed with how quick his wit was, and we went out to lunch together nearly every day for a long time, and even did numerous happy hours together.
I remember he bought an old house in St. Louis that was a fixer-upper, and knew that he could accomplish anything he set his mind to.
My deepest condolences.