SOUTH FREEPORT — Howard Thure Nielsen, 77, died at his home in South Freeport on July 20 after a brief illness.

On May 3, 1934, he was born in New York City, and grew up with his father, Olaf Nielsen, and mother, Kathryn Coleman,  in New York City and Manchester, Vt., where he graduated from Burr & Burton Seminary.

In his younger years, he worked as a ski instructor at Bromley Mountain and as a radio announcer for WDOT of Burlington, and attended the University of Vermont.

In 1960 he moved to Maine to begin his television broadcasting career at WCSH-TV Channel 6 in Portland, where he served as anchorman/reporter/producer from 1960-1968.

Following a stint as the executive publisher of the Maine Times newspaper, he worked as an anchorman and general assignment reporter from 1968-1980 at WNAC-TV Channel 7 in Boston. He was one of the principal broadcast reporters assigned to cover school desegregation in Boston in the early 1970s, and his documentary, “Brown vs. Topeka: The Unfinished Promise,” received a United Press International award.

After leaving WNAC, he worked as a freelance correspondent for Associated Press Television and CNN, and as an independent media consultant.

An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed downhill and cross-country skiing, sailing and traveling. His last trip was in March to the island of Anguilla, where he had many happy vacations over the past 20 years.

He is survived by his wife, Lynn; his children, Julianna, Jennifer and Christopher; his sister Nancy, and his brother, Kevin.

There will be a gathering of friends and family at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at the Nielsen home in South Freeport to celebrate his life.

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