James Edward Nelson

James Edward Nelson, 1932-2017, also known as Jim or Ompa, age 85,
passed away surrounded by his family on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 in Casa Grande, AZ. He was born on March 18, 1932 in Burlington, Kansas. On June 3, 1951 he married Faye Lola Armstrong and they began their life journey together. Jim loved his friends and family very much.
In his spare time you could find him golfing, hunting, fishing, dancing, being outdoors, and traveling to his summer home in the White
Mountains. If he wasn’t doing any of these things you could either
find him with his buddies getting into trouble at the Elks Lodge or
enjoying his favorite actor, John Wayne. He also enjoyed spending
quality time with June which included yard sales, dinner and dancing.
During his life he had many wonderful experiences working for the Mountain Bell Telephone Company, the Metro Rail Line in California, and also for the Elks Lodge #1957 where he was Exalted Ruler. He also was the resident Elks Santa during the holidays and the Chairman of the annual golf tournament.
Jim is survived by his children, daughter and husband, Coye and Darwin Hutson; son and wife, Jim and Carolyn Nelson II; his grandchildren, Warren and Francine Hutson, Mandi Hutson, Nicole Hutson, Jacquelyn and Craig MacDonald, JR Nelson, Christina Nelson and his three great-grandchildren, Cerissa, Clay and Abigail.
He is predeceased by his wife, Faye, his parents Earl and Ethel, and
his siblings, Nelda McCall, Mary Ater, Earl "Ozzy" Nelson and
Charles Nelson. We will always remember our Ompa as our knucklehead saying "See you later alligator, after a while crocodile."
Services will be held at the Elks Lodge #1957 Fraternal
organization in Casa Grande, Arizona, located at 909 E. Florence
Blvd., on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 5:30 p.m.
Contributions may be made to Silver Lining Riding, 13361 W. PortRoyale Ln., Surprise, AZ 85379 in memory of James E. Nelson.