Tony Laverne "JoJo" Nelson

Funeral services celebrating the life of Tony Laverne “JoJo” Nelson will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. officiating by Simmesport Full Gospel Holy Temple, Pastor Henry Duskin, at the location of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, 420 Lincoln Street, Simmesport, Louisiana. Interment will follow at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church Cemetery, Simmesport, Louisiana.

Mr. Nelson, age 65, of Marksville, Louisiana, passed away on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at Bayou Chateau Nursing Center in Simmesport, Louisiana. He was born on October 5, 1960, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Tommy and Hazel Perkins. He was a devoted husband and father whose faith in God carried the family through many difficult times.

He is preceded in death by his son, Curtis M. Nelson; parents, Tommy Lee Perkins and Hazel Louise Perkins; brother, Cecil Nelson; and sisters, Brenda Nelson, Debra Perkins, Alice Judy, and June Stevenson. 

He is survived by his beloved wife of 43 years, Belinda Jackson Nelson; daughter, Toni A. Nelson, Baton Rouge, LA; father-in-law, Rachael Jackson, Chicago, Il; brother, Bobbie Nelson (Yolanda), El Reno, Oklahoma; sisters, Lorene Nelson, Lafayette, LA; Carmalette Perkins, and Sandra Perkins both of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; brothers in-laws, Dale Judy and Glynn Baker both of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Roy Jackson, Jonas Jackson both of Simmesport, LA; Wendall Jackson, Kansas City, Kansas; Byron Jackson, Grove, TX; sisters-in laws, Lorraine H. Jackson, Houston, TX; and Lazonia Jackson, Simmesport, LA; a host of nieces, nephews, and other family members and friends.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. with Funeral Services at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, 420 Lincoln Street, Simmesport, Louisiana.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Escude Funeral Home of Simmesport, LA.