Billie Kenneth (Ken) Nelson Jr. passed away on May 8, 2024 from complications recovering from a cancer related surgery. He was 13 days shy of his 82nd birthday. He is survived by his siblings Beckye (Floyd) Alexander, Tim (Phyllis) Nelson, and Candy (John Pat) Orr and his children Bill (Amy) Nelson and Donna (David) Hill. Ken had five grandchildren, Grace and Colin Nelson, and Stella Mae, Sawyer and Scout Hill who adored him and to whom he was devoted.
Ken was born in Nashville but lived his whole life in Decatur, AL. He graduated high school in 1961 and joined the Navy the next day. He proudly served four years as a corpsman and delivered babies at the hospital on the base. Following his military service he worked for a time with the city of Decatur as a Revenue Officer where he met his bride, Merle. He then joined ranks with his father who owned and operated Davidson Heating & Cooling Service. When his father retired, Ken went to work for Decatur City Schools in their maintenance department where he made many lifelong friends.
Ken was a dedicated member of Central Baptist Church where he enjoyed singing in the choir, greeting and giving as many smiles and hugs as he could give. He and Merle went on many mission trips where they traveled around the country and helped build various buildings for churches. Ken truly had a servant’s heart and was at the ready when anyone was in need. Ken was a one-of-a-kind lover of people who never met a stranger and had the unique ability to make you feel loved within moments of meeting him.
Ken was also an adventurer! His daughter Donna inherited that from him and he stepped outside his comfort zone many times to visit her in London and New York City. Donna ultimately settled in Washington state where he visited several times a year happily accompanying her and her family on many road trips to exciting places like Montana, Yellowstone, Whistler BC and their little spot in the mountains of Leavenworth WA.
Ken also shared many more adventures with friends and family! One of his favorite trips (that may have given him the ‘travel bug’) was his 1994 Alaskan Adventure with his son and friends Allen Schmidt, Don Collier and Don’s son Mark. Other trips included multiple trips to Utah, hunting trips to Wyoming and maybe even Idaho, not to mention trips to Tennessee, and the Carolinas (Biltmore and Blowing Rock).
Many of those trips occurred in his retirement, but when he wasn’t traveling he enjoyed the Tuesday Breakfast Club with his friends Rick Derrick, Bill Finley, Willie Pentecost, Don Collier, Terry Glover, Ed Taylor and Lou Heath (who will serve as Honorary Pallbearers). The “Breakfast Club” would often end with random adventures all over northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee. He never missed the Wednesday Senior Worship Service at Central Baptist, and would serve as a greeter and sing in the choir for both services every week on Sunday!
Services will be Wednesday, May 15 at Central Baptist Church. Visitation will be from 10:30 -12:00 with a Celebration of Life service to Begin at 12:00 noon. He will be buried in the Morris City Cemetery. Pallbearers will be David Hill, Sawyer Hill, Colin Nelson, Mickey Nelson, Steve Dumas and Wes Orr.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Central Baptist Church’s Food Bank, Adult Mission Trips or Youth Summer Camp (for scholarships).
