Loren grew up on a farm near Spague, Manitoba. He was the son Nels and Christina Nelson, the younger brother of Evert, and the older brother of Harley and Clarice.
His family loved him dearly. As the third son, Harley says that he always looked up to his older brother, Loren, to teach him wisely.
After grade 8, Loren got a job as a carpenter along with his father. Together they built one of the original Canada Customs Buildings at the Middleboro crossing in southeast Manitoba. In his spare time, he also helped to break land on the newly acquired farm with his father and his brothers. There was also farm work and chores to be done. As a teenager, he helped his father build a home on the farm because all they had was a very cold log house to live in. He did most of the work himself because his father had to earn a living by working outside the farm.
Loren proved that he was also very inventive by building and designing a sweep rake and a hay stacker. For recreation he also built a croquet set by hand. When there was time for musical enjoyment, Loren’s older brother Evert would play the accordion and Loren would accompany him on his guitar.
In early 1944, Evert and Loren went off to join the army. Evert was turned away and Loren was accepted. Loren was barely 18 at this time. The whole family was very sad when he joined the army, because his good humour and his help around the house was sadly missed.
Loren left the farm in March of 1944 for basic training in Winnipeg. Over the next seven months he returned to the farm twice to visit his family, in May and September.
