Walnut Creek, California - Troi Nelson of Walnut Creek, California, died unexpectedly at Northstar near Truckee, California on May 4, 2026, at the age of 68. The cause of death was carotid artery disease.

A fourth generation Nevadan on both sides of her family, Troi Alta Jones was born on September 19, 1957 in Henderson, Nevada, to Reynold Uther Jones and Deanna Ballinger Jones. As a young girl, her family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where Troi supplemented her Western heritage with a good dose of Midwestern sensibility. She moved to Boulder City, Nevada in 1973, began a lifelong relationship of love and true friendship with Steve Nelson in 1974, and graduated from Boulder City High School in 1975.

After receiving an associate degree in humanities from Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, Troi earned her bachelor's degree in linguistics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1980. On June 28, 1980, she married Steve in Boulder City, and following a Grand Canyon honeymoon, began working in human resources in Walnut Creek, first with Bullock's department store, and then with Upjohn Healthcare Services.

In 1983 Troi and Steve found their home in Walnut Creek, and started their family, welcoming daughter Caralee in 1984 and son Zachary in 1988.

While raising her family, Troi assumed leadership positions in the PTA and in the Girl Scouts of America, with long-lasting influence in the school programs she designed and the girls she guided to become successful women.

After emptying the nest, Troi continued to express her remarkable creativity. She earned a national reputation for her virtual world designs, where her work was included on The Office and in the film Hot Tub Time Machine. She became proficient at photography and photographic art, and poured her creative spirit into her beloved gardens. A frequent participant in the NaNoWriMo writing program, Troi completed 10 unpublished novels. In recent years, Troi was diving deep into the history of her ancestral and extended families, preserving and restoring generations of family photographs and stories.

Troi is survived by her husband, Steven Nelson of Walnut Creek, daughter Caralee Nelson of Aarhus, Denmark, son Zachary Nelson of Walnut Creek, sister Heidi Harris of Gainesville, Florida and mother-in-law Sally Nelson of Boulder City. She is preceded in death by her father Reynold Jones, her mother Deanna Miller, her brother Mason Jones, her sister Brooke Jones Narveaz and her father-in-law James Nelson.

Troi and Steve enjoyed a second home in Boulder City since 2000, and their frequent visits kept their Nevada roots strong. Troi will be laid to rest this summer in Searchlight, Nevada, alongside her mother, brother, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and great-grandparents. A memorial gathering in Searchlight is planned for October, 2026.