Harold Frank Nelson, 80, of Madison, passed away Thursday. Mr. Nelson was born in Coal Valley, AL. He joined the Navy at the age of 17 as a Damage Controlman stationed in Guam, then was assigned to USS Bolster ARS 38. At the latter part of his tour of duty, he was part-time off the coast of Korea, and was honorably discharged in 1956. After discharge, he worked as a Refrigeration Technician at Wilson-Dismukes in Mobile, AL. After relocating to Madison in 1962, he worked for the Army on Redstone Arsenal and joined the Naval Reserve. His career with NASA began in 1963 at Marshall Space Flight Center, where he supported the Apollo Missions. In July, 1969, he took his family to Cape Kennedy to witness the Apollo 11 launch to the moon. During his career, he received numerous performance awards, culminating in the Silver Snoopy Award in 1988. He retired in 1992 after 30 years with NASA. In retirement, he enjoyed travel, Alabama football, home projects, and developed a passion for the latest technology in vehicles, computers and HDTV. He was preceded in death by his brother, Bill Nelson. His greatest love was his family. He is survived by his brother, Edward L. Nelson and wife, Barbara Ann; sister, Carolyn Herron and husband, Morrace; the mother of his children, Joyce Baxter; sons, Douglas and wife, Sun I, David and wife, Janet, Danny and wife, Sabrina; grandchildren, Cindy Byerly and husband, James, Matthew Nelson, Zach Nelson, Eric Nelson and Foster Nelson; great-grandchildren, Alexander and Jonah Byerly. No services are planned at this time. Berryhill Funeral Home is assisting the family.
