Gordon Nelson

Gordon Nelson, age 89, at rest Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at Victoria Village in Homer Glen. Born April 3, 1931 in Chicago, son of the late Maurice and Agnes Nelson, beloved husband of Norma (Verboomen) Nelson, loving father of Deborah Winter and Sharon (late Fred) Rausch, cherished grandfather of Bethany (Josh) Noble, Kristy (Cody) Murphy, Stephen Rausch and Caitlin (Jim Bruno) Rausch, great grandfather of Hailey Noble, Brie Blevins, Lucy and Gabriella Murphy, Richard Rausch, fond uncle of several nieces and a nephew, treasured cousins here and in Sweden, and dear friend of many.
Gordon graduated from Hirsch high school, class of 1948, where he met his future wife Norma. They married in 1951 while he attended college. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1953 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955 at Fort Lewis, Washington, and they lived in Tacoma until his discharge. Returning to Chicago, he and Norma bought a home in Dolton, Illinois. Gordon worked at Chicago Copper and Chemical for 15 years until the plant closed in 1970, at which time he took a position at Western Electric, a subsidiary of AT&T. He worked for various departments, and in 1984, was transferred to North Andover, MA where he worked until he retired in 1993. They lived in nearby Londonderry NH, and in December 2000, moved back to Illinois and bought a home in New Lenox.
Gordon was a member of the Woodlawn chapter of DeMolay, Oscar II Lodge of I.O.G.T, and was a member of the Presbyterian Church of South Holland until it closed in 2014. He was a ruling elder, treasurer, and a member of the choir. After the church closed, he joined St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Frankfort.
A Memorial Service will be held at St. Peter's UCC, 12 West Sauk Trail, Frankfort, IL 60423 on Saturday, August 8, 2020 at 2:00 PM. Memorial donations may be made to The American Lung Association or St. Peters United Church of Christ in Frankfort, Illinois. Information is available at www.kurtzmemorialchapel.com or (815) 485-3700