David Rogers Nelson III

1946 - 2024

David Rogers Nelson III, our brother and friend, died bravely on Saturday, December 7th, 2024, at Harbor Hospice of Beaumont, Texas, after a more than ten-year battle with Parkinson's.

If our father had been here, he'd have reminded us that it was Pearl Harbor Day.

Daddy-who was David Rogers Nelson Jr., also known as "Paw Paw"-had served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. When that war ended, he'd come home, married Alice Carroll Hunter, the prettiest, funniest girl in Beaumont (where everyone called her "Kissy"), and together the two of them had produced eleven children, beginning with David III.

They called us Baby Boomers.

David grew up handsome, hilarious, huge-hearted, and incredibly bossy, as only a big brother of six younger sisters and four younger brothers can be. If we hadn't all been sworn to secrecy multiple times in the 50's and 60's, we could tell you hair-raising stories of our adventures.

(Just be on the lookout for ancient evidence of turf wars at Ranch Number Eight, out present-day Major Drive, where horses occasionally ran away with small children or got stuck in the legendary drainage ditches of Southeast Texas.)

(Check first with Tommy Peterson and Joe Bob Kinsel.)

In spite of his misspent (but highly entertaining) youth, David graduated with an excellent record from St. Anne School and Monsignor Kelly High School, where he was Vice President of his class, appeared in school plays, and was briefly on the football team. He later loved to tell the story of actually catching a pass in one game, much to his surprise, and running so fast that he could hear the wind rushing past his ears and was sure he'd made a touchdown, until he saw the frowns on the crowd's faces as they waved their arms at him and yelled "GO BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING THE WRONG WAY!"

Then came a short career at Texas A&M and a completed one at Lamar University, where he became a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, earned a sensible degree in Business, and avoided all sports except fishing, hunting, horseback riding, and meeting as many girls as possible.

David had a distinguished career in the insurance business with David R. Nelson and Company and Golden Eagle Financial Group. He married Dale Martin in his early twenties, had two beautiful daughters, Katherine Dale and Elizabeth Cullen Nelson, and was devastated when that marriage failed. And then in the early 80's he met and married Terri Fox, the love of his life, and became a devoted father all over again to his youngest daughter, Ashley Theresa Nelson.

And then came the ranch-his childhood dream come true-not far from Spindletop, Beaumont's miracle gusher. The dream that would never have come true without Terri. Nelson Cattle Ranch, the two of them called it, with Tom and Annie Hunter Lake just past the entrance gate, named for Kissy's father and mother, and Lake Kalibash behind the house, named for the girls-Kack and Liz and Ashley. The ranch! And David the Cowboy for real! And year after year of hard work and growth and Beef Masters of America, and peacocks on the rooftop and lake after new lake and the best and most gigantic Easter parties in history, complete with barrel races and whistling contests and David's tap dancing and step dancing and song singing and hundreds of relatives and friends and children of all ages, who will never forget those magical memories in a million years.

Thank you, David! Thank you, Terri! Thank you, dear Lord, for your beautiful boy child from Beaumont, who's come home at last, to sing and dance and whistle and tap dance with Paw Paw and Kissy and all our friends and relatives-so many of them now-who've made it there before us.

Here are the family names-in heaven and on earth- (and we love you all and are praying we haven't accidentally left anybody out):

David III and Terri's children and their families: Katherine Dale Nelson Davis, her husband, Scott Davis, and their children, Austin, Andrew, and Grace Katherine Davis; Elizabeth Cullen Nelson; Ashley Theresa Nelson Burk, her husband, Henry Burk, and their children, Mae Elizabeth, Theresa Katherine, and Nolan Rogers Burk; David III's sisters and brothers: Theresa and Kevin Cooney and family; Frances and Tim Arnoult and family; Hunter and Betsy Nelson and family; Mary Pat and Marty Gross; Carroll and Jeff Patrizi and family; Annie and Wayne Kansas and family; Jane and Joe Bob Kinsel and family; James Keith and Cindy Nelson and family; John Henry Nelson and family; William and Carrie Grass Nelson and family; Terri's mother, Dorothy C. Fox; her father (deceased) Norwood P. Fox; Terri's sisters: Tracy Fox Mistrot and husband Bobby Mistrot and family; Tami Fox Nunez and husband Steve Nunez and family.

We love you all!

Thank you so much, dear family and friends, and special thanks to the extraordinary helpers and everyone at Synergy and Harbor Hospice.

God bless us, every one!!

A gathering of Mr. Nelson's family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., with a time of sharing at 5:45 p.m., Thursday, December 12, 2024, at Broussard's, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m., Friday, December 13, 2024, at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, 700 Jefferson Street, Beaumont. Cremation arrangements were handled through Broussard's Crematorium, Beaumont.

Complete and updated information may be found at: broussards1889.com