Christopher Ashley Nelon was born in Joliet, Illinois on January 19, 1973, the son of Terry Michael Nelon and Sue Smith Barnett. His family moved to Alpine, Texas when he was two and, although his family eventually moved away, Chris never left the city he had grown to love.
Although Chris received his Associate’s Degree in Turfgrass Management from Western Texas College in Snyder, Texas, and served as the superintendent of several golf courses, he left that career path to work as a derrick hand on the oil rigs of west Texas.
Given his work history, it only made sense that Chris enjoyed golfing, but he was also an all-star baseball player, an excellent football player, and just generally an all-round great athlete. The family owned a ranch where Chris could usually be found hunting white tail deer or working as a cowboy. Add motorcycle riding to the mix and you could pretty well sum up his hobbies. Never one to do anything half way, Chris always went 90 to nothing at whatever he tackled, always enjoying life and always giving 100%.
Chris departed this life on June 18, 2018 at the young age of 45 years, 4 months, and 30 days. He is survived by his mother, Sue Barnett of Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, three children, Corey Tyler Hyatt of Clearwater, Florida, and Grady Michael Nelon and Bonnie Christine Pohly, both of Lelander, Texas, his brother, Tye Monroe Barnett of Boaz, Kentucky, and his grandfather, Carl Smith. In addition to his father, Chris was preceded in death by his grandparents Roberta Setsor and “Papa Joe” and Grady and Carolyn Nelon.
