John Nelson, Sr., 92, of Oxford, Florida, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on May 21, 2020, surrounded by his family. He left behind his wife, Wanda Conley Nelson, in what would have been 70 years of marriage in November 2020, and nine children, Ornetta Marshall (Dean); Michael Nelson, Sr. (Valerie); John Nelson, Jr. (Debbie); Timothy Nelson, Sr. (Suzie); Earlena Tasker (Gator); Ricky Nelson (Rita); Ella Campbell; Ramona Riggs (Cliff); Tonia Sumner (Mike); 34 grandchildren and 59 great grandchildren.
He was born to Ivan Nelson and Crissie Adkins Nelson in Raceland, Kentucky, on January 9, 1928. He was preceded in death by brothers, Earl, Elmer, Orin and Milton, and sisters, Virginia Sizemore, Edythe Morrison and Pansy Nelson.
John (Dad, PapPaw) served in the United States Navy toward the end of World War II; American area, Asiatic Pacific. He received decorations and commendations; three total medals of honor. He worked two jobs most of his life providing for his family. Nothing was more important to him than his Lord Jesus Christ, his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren whom he loved dearly.
John coached the senior division of the Suburban Little League in New Castle, DE, and took his team to the Dairy Palace for an ice cream cone after the winning games. He was an avid fan of the Baltimore Orioles. He sang in the church choir, played on the church softball team as a pitcher and made everyone feel loved and special. He was loved very much and will be missed tremendously.
The family would like to personally express sincere gratitude and love to Ricky and Rita Nelson for their care over the past 10 months for sheltering dad and mom in their home in Ocala, Florida. This was very special to all of us to be able to be with him in his final days.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for memorial donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals of Greater St. Louis, in honor of his great grandson, Kevin Lowery. Go to https://cmn-stl.org and under Additional Information, choose ‘other’ and type in Kevin Lowery or mail to 5700 Oakland Avenue, Suite 220, St. Louis, MO 63110 – in the check memo, please write Kevin Lowery. Kevin is the 2020 Miracle Ambassador of the St. Louis County. #TheSuperKev, as he’s affectionally known, has several diagnosis’ and exudes the same smile and sweet demeanor as his Great PaPaw.
A funeral service for John will be held on Tuesday, May 26 at 12pm at the Oxford Assembly of God (12114 US-301, Oxford, FL 34484). Visitation will be held from 11:00 am until the time of the service. Anyone unable to attend the service may virtually attend a live-stream of the service at the link: http://client.tribucast.com/tcid/220548354. An entombment will follow at Highland Memorial Park in Ocala, Florida.
