James Nelson Obituary
April 1, 1959 – December 18, 2025
James Russell Nelson, 66, passed away on December 18, 2025, at the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City, OK surrounded by care and dignity.
James was born on April 1, 1959, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert Nelson and Helen Russell.
James proudly served his country in the United States Navy from 1977 to 1983. During his service, he was stationed in the Gulf of Oman (Northern Zone, Gonzo Station) and served aboard the USS Constellation aircraft carrier from 1979 to 1981. His service was a meaningful chapter of his life and one he carried with pride.
Following his military service, James worked for many years as a truck driver, a profession that suited his independent spirit and love of the open road.
James is survived by his son, Harold William Nelson, and daughter-in-law, Brittney Nelson, and his grandchildren, Emma Jayne Nelson and Cole Bryce Nelson. He is also survived by his sister, Elizabeth Nelson Stepp.
James faced cancer with strength and determination, fighting far beyond initial expectations showing remarkable resilience throughout his journey.
In recent years, James found deep meaning and renewed purpose in family, which became a great source of strength and comfort to him.
James will be remembered for his generous spirit and the love he found in his family. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of JAMES, please visit our floral store.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
1 Entry
Kathryn Anne Ford
February 5, 2026
I knew something was wrong when I didn´t hear from Jim for a few months. Ray and I met him here in Safford about a decade ago. I remember when we first met. We were all at The Hideaway and I was playing music inside and Jim and Ray were outside. I was playing old Beetles songs and probably Rolling Stones... some punks kept jumping in there playing loud obnoxious stuff... Ray came and got me, he said to come meet someone. "Hi, I'm Jim. Is that you playing all that old stuff in there?" I'm like yeah! He's like, "here's 5 dollars, go keep playing what you're playing." We all exchanged numbers, I remember I tried to write his number in the dust of the dash board in our old truck. Obviously that didn't work out so good. We would have lost touch but a couple months later who do we see moving into a rental that our landlord owns a block away from our little place. Reunited! We stayed good friends after that. Me and Ray would cook for our neighborhood group of friends including our good friend Rick who lived upstairs from us. Sometimes we would all go to the bowling alley and bet on the horses. Years later, when Jim got on the road he would always visit as he passed through Safford, and he would always bring us something cool like a bear claw from Montana, or the alligator head from Louisiana - items I cherish to this day. And we would all get together again or the 3 of us would go to the casino. Ray ended up getting sick in 2020 from covid and died 12/19/20. Jim sent me a care package with snacks and candy and money hidden all throughout it... and of course some Slim Jims for the dogs... everytime he visited he always brought the dogs some Slim Jims. We continued to keep in touch... Our friend Rick died 8/28/24. I let Jim know that another of our crew was gone. Life continued. I know he was stoked to develop a joyful relationship with his son, daughter in law, and grandkids. I remember receiving pictures of family and halloween decorations. I know he was happy to have them in his life. Summer of 2025 I hadn't heard from him for more than a few months, and I began to worry. I sent texts with no response and now I wish I would have just called. My last text to him was 12/12/25, his death date is one day from Ray's, they almost have the same birthday too (Ray 4/6, Jim 4/1.) I finally did what I knew I needed to do - look up his information online, and there his picture was, what i dreaded to see - his obituary. Back years ago when we all lived in that neighborhood, he had gotten sick. He wouldn't answer the door or the phone. I tried to bring him plates of food. Ray finally got through to him and said look, Katy and I are worried about you! He was avoiding us because he was really sick, this went on for a couple of months but we were glad to finally have him back when he was better. I'll always wonder if he avoided me this time around because he wasn't doing well. I knew in my heart he wasn't doing well, even without any indication in our last conversations. Most of the Daley Estates crew has reunited. I'm thankful for our friendship, Jim. Rest in peace, and say hi for me to the rest up there.
Love, Katy Ford.
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2813 NW 122nd St, Oklahoma City, OK 73120
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