Harold E. Nelson, 79, passed away on September 22, 2026, in Gadsden, Alabama.Harold was born in Sylacauga, Alabama, to Robert G. Nelson and Alice Ellaween Nelson. He graduated from Andalusia High School, where he met his first wife, Linda Jay, the mother of his three children. He attended Troy University and earned his Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation, the foundation for his long career in insurance.
Harold spent many years in Selma, where he built his insurance career and was active in the civic life of the community, including serving as President of the Quarterback Club. In 1983 he moved the family to Gadsden. There he ran his own independent insurance agency and founded Motorsports Insurance International, which specialized in catastrophe insurance for NASCAR and IndyCar drivers. In his second career, he owned Sweetwater Security, helping business owners and small farmers secure their livelihoods. He was one of the hardest working people you would ever meet.
Harold never met a stranger. His love of Auburn University, its sports, and everything Auburn stands for was a constant in his life. So was his love of motorsports. He was a founding member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and stayed active in it for years. He rarely missed a major race at Talladega, and he introduced dozens and dozens of people to their first NASCAR experience. If there was a Rook game to be played, he was first at the table. He loved beach music, as long as you could dance to it. He may have missed his calling as a party organizer; the number of Swingin’ Medallions events he attended and organized is hard to count. Nothing made him happier than time at the beach, a Varsity chili dog, and his family around him.
Harold was preceded in death by his parents, Robert G. Nelson and Alice Ellaween Nelson, and by his firstborn daughter, Candace Nelson.
He is survived by his son, Clay Nelson; his daughter, Julie Nelson Pruett Dean her husband Michael; his grandchildren, Rebecca Nelson, Lauren Nelson, Gavin Nelson, and Preston Pruett and Nigel and Londun Dean; his partner, Robin Wilson, and her children, Leah and her husband Wesley and their son Samford, and Lindsey and her husband Reece and their sons Asher and Reagan; his brother, Gary Nelson, and his wife Julia; his sister, Linda Thompson; and numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.
The family extends its heartfelt thanks to the staff of Riverview Regional Medical Center for the care and kindness they showed Harold.
Visitation will be held Sunday, September 27, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Collier Butler Funeral Home in Gadsden, Alabama, with the funeral service following at 3:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the National Kidney Foundation.
