Christopher James "Cj" Nelson

Come-and-go visitation will be on Sunday, July 24th from 1-6pm at Crawford Family Funeral Service, Edmond. Sergeant Nelson's family will greet guests at a come-and-go reception at the visitation at Crawford Funeral Service on Sunday from 4-6pm.
A service celebrating his life will be at 1pm on Monday, July 25th at Crossings Community Church (14600 N. Portland Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73134).
Christopher James "CJ" Nelson, loving husband, devoted father, cherished son, beloved brother, and dedicated police officer tragically lost his life in the line of duty on Tuesday, July 19th, 2022, at the age of 38.
CJ was born on September 22nd, 1983, in Honolulu, Hawaii to Kellie Spiridigliozzi and Leo Willie Nelson. His early childhood was spent on the beaches of Hawaii where he loved spending time with his family and eating pizza, which was his favorite food.
From a very young age, CJ had an extraordinary interest in baseball. CJ was the light of his mother's life. She never missed an event, and he could always count on looking up in the stands and seeing her face cheering him on. His stepfather, Nick's military career took him all over the western coast of the United States. Nick always had time to coach CJ in the game he loved and passed on his one and only rule of having fun over winning. It didn't matter where they were living, CJ always returned to Hawaii during the summers and developed a close relationship with his uncle Timo. He admired Uncle Timo, who was a professional baseball player and police officer and aspired to be just like him. His parents actually enjoyed parent-teacher conferences as his teachers always had wonderful things to report about CJ's behavior and academic ability. CJ was raised in the Christian faith and was baptized in 1983 and rededicated in1995.
After being stationed in Lawton, Oklahoma, CJ attended Lawton Christian School for Middle and High School. When Kellie and Nick took him on a tour of the facilities for the first time, his eyes lit up when he saw their batting cages and baseball field. It was at Lawton Christian School that CJ met a life-long friend, Trey Fox. CJ and Trey were typical high school boys and always seemed to find mischief. Trey introduced CJ to hunting and together developed a love of big guns. CJ was the best big brother to Brady, who was nine and a half years younger, and let Brady tag along anytime he wanted to. He would even take him to high school parties, because a cute little brother could get someone a lot of attention.
After graduating high school in 2001, CJ attended Cameron University. There he played short-stop and catcher for the Aggies baseball team and was a PLUS Academic Scholar. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in 2006. It was at Cameron, during a PLUS Scholar flag football game that he met a girl who matched his love of adventure and competitive spirit and shortly after asked her to be his wife.
After graduating from college, CJ returned to his native Hawaii and joined the 157th Recruit Class of the Hawaii Police Department. It had always been his dream to become a member of the Honolulu Police force and he proudly served his city from 2007-2009. CJ and Jenefer were united in marriage, Vegas style, on April 21st, 2007. They began their married life together in the paradise of Hawaii but decided to move back to Oklahoma in 2009 to put down their roots. The couple chose Edmond, Oklahoma as their home.
CJ continued his life in law enforcement by joining the 0901 Academy for the Edmond Police Department in 2009. After graduating from the academy and becoming a member of the Edmond Police Department, CJ joined the motorcycle patrol unit. CJ was especially proud of the fact that he was able to serve his community as a member of the SWAT team. They were recognized by the Committee of 100 for display of exceptional courage and bravery in the face of extreme danger. CJ was a 7-time Top Cop Buckle Down Award recipient. As a representative of the Edmond Police Department, CJ was always willing to talk to citizens about his job and how much he loved serving and protecting his community. He especially enjoyed showing off his motorcycle to children and always made time to explain.
Jenefer and CJ enjoyed traveling to different beaches together. They made sure to always share early morning coffee and talk about what their day would hold. They loved exploring new restaurants and food. They enjoyed sneaking away together on his motorcycle with no destination in mind. The couple welcomed two children, Emily in 2011 and Connor in 2015. CJ adored his children, and his greatest joy was sharing his love of baseball with them both. Like his stepfather, CJ helped coach his children on and off the field and instilled in them a strong work ethic and love of physical activity and adventure.
When he was not serving the Edmond community, CJ was an active member of his gym and enjoyed CrossFit and training others. He had just achieved becoming a licensed personal trainer and looked forward to building a client base in a gym that he and friends constructed. He enjoyed rebuilding and riding motorcycles, a passion he shared with his father, Leo. They took long road trips together building priceless memories for them both. He also enjoyed time with his friends and family on the golf course.
Christopher James is survived by his wife, of the home. Also of the home are his daughter Emily and son Connor. Additionally, he survived by his mother and stepfather, Kellie and Nick Spiridigliozzi of Mililani, Hawaii; his father, Leo Willie Nelson of Washington; his brother Brady Spiridigliozzi of Mililani, Hawaii; Mother and father in-law Deb and Joe Fehring of Lawton; Sister and brother-in-law Stacy and Matthew Justice of Lawton; his Edmond Police Department family; and numerous uncles, aunties, cousins, nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by Maternal Grandparents John R. and Kay Donahue; Paternal Grandparents James and Anna Marie Nelson; and many aunts and uncles.
A come-and-go visitation will be from 1-6pm on Sunday, July 24th at Crawford Family Funeral Service in Edmond with the family greeting friends from 4-6pm. A service honoring CJ's life will be at 1pm on Monday, July 25th at Crossings Community Church (14600 N. Portland Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73134) under the direction of Crawford Funeral Service, Edmond.
A memorial fund for the fallen officer's family has been established at St. Luke's United Methodist Church of Edmond.