William James NELSON

NELSON, William James, Lt. Col. (Ret.) USAF 92, of Tampa, passed away October 21, 2012. Born Sept. 28, 1920 in Philadelphia, PA he moved with his parents to St. Petersburg in 1921, where he resided until entering the Army Air Corp in 1941. He graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1939, and attended St. Petersburg Junior College. While in school he actively participated in school and citywide sports teams, baseball, softball, basketball and football. Later in life he enjoyed golf, in 1963 he proudly won the MOADS Championship of southeast USA. He was a member of Emerald Green Golf and Country Club where he continued to golf into his 90's. As a World War II pilot, Col. Nelson flew 52 combat missions out of North Africa and 17 missions during the Korean War. He was a command pilot, recipient of the bronze star and 6 air medals with numerous clusters. He was one of the B-17 pilots who participated in the 1948 atomic bomb test at Enewetok, Marshall Islands. Upon retirement from the USAF in 1963, he settled with his family in Tampa, where he was employed by the State of Florida, HRS as a supervising counselor, until retirement in 1981. Col. Nelson held a B.S. Degree from University of Maryland and a MBA from George Washington University. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Martha Redwine Nelson; son, William James Nelson, Jr. (Audrey); daughters, Martha Elizabeth "Penny" Nelson and Victoria Nelson Jourdenais (Steve); four grandchildren, Brien Scott Nelson (Courtney), Jessica Ryan Nelson, Stephanie Michelle Jourdenais and George Mikel Jourdenais; and one great-grandchild, James Campbell Nelson. Memorial services will be held at Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church, 2902 West Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, FL 33618 on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012 at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your favorite charity.