Andrew Jack Nelson

Andrew “Jack” Nelson, Jr., born on 29 November 1942 in Los Angeles, CA, passed away on 27 October 2017 in Prescott AZ.   He is survived by his wife, Shirley (55+ years), 4 sons, Andy (Sally), Randy, Brad, (Lenora), Chad (Shelley), 2 daughters, Yvonne (Mark) Hoskins, Sherrie (Doug) Crawford, 27 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, 2 on the way, mother-in-law, Martha Dalton, sister, Bonnie Cormier, brother, Jerry Nelson, sister-in-law, Marie Dalton Galvin, brothers-in-law, Allen Dalton and Tom Cormier, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. His loving, good nature will be missed by his family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Andrew Jack Nelson, Sr. and Elizabeth Ann Head Nelson.

Back in the day, he was able to obtain his General B-1 Contractor’s license under his dad’s license in California during the’60s. It came in handy when he broke his leg and was able to build some homes in the Antelope Valley while recuperating. Nothing stopped him! He drove a dune buggy with a stick shift, using his crutch to help him switch gears to get him to and from the job site. His skills developed into creating beautiful cabinets, patio covers, custom mailboxes and he could fix anything! He worked by himself most of his life and enjoyed being his own boss in his various businesses: Jack’s Framing, Quality Cabinets, Sweep, Etc., co-owner of RAM Enterprises with Shirley from 1992-28 Feb. 2009.

He raised his family in Newhall (now Santa Clarita) California from 1962-1975, Vernal, Utah from 1975-1987 and in Prescott, Arizona since 1987. The last seven months of his life were spent at the Pleasant Valley Care Home, where he received excellent, loving care. He was blessed to have the best caregivers and his daughter, Yvonne, was privileged to work amongst them in caring for her dad.

His family has been active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since 1967. Jack found out around 2002 that he’s a 6th generation pioneer. His ancestors sailed from England in the 1850’s and settled in the Ogden, UT area.

Jack loved living in Utah where he could go hunting, fishing, water skiing, shooting and anything outdoors without traveling far. His family tradition continued on to go shooting on Thanksgiving morning with his adult kids and grandchildren. The greatest enjoyment of his life, however, was serving his family and fellow man. The culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to serve one another. He served in scouting, Elder’s Quorum, High Priest leadership, teaching Primary, Ward Mission Leader and a local Humanitarian Mission with Shirley for two years. Whatever he did, he did his best and loved it. When his parents started spending more time in Prescott, he enjoyed bringing his dad with him Rotary meetings. His cooking skills grew out of a humorous agreement he had with Shirley: She cooked the first 20 years, he cooked the next 20 years and the next 10 years they would eat out. They outlived that agreement by 5+ years with the combination of all three. Whenever anyone wanted a cook for a group, he was the man! He cooked fry bread, won a few chili cookoffs, helped at corn roasts, specialized in barbecues, stove top cooking, microwave and crockpots too! They started traveling when they were in business from destinations by flight to cruises – which were his favorites.

The families that lived close to him enjoyed personal delivery of donuts and chocolate milk on their birthdays. He went by many names: Grandpa, Papa, Grandpa Jack and Goodie Grandpa to his grand and great-grandchildren, dad, papa to his kids and just “Jack” to his wife. His smile could light up a room and he made the world a better place to live that will live on through his great posterity.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the local Alzheimer’s Association, 3111 Clearwater Dr., Suite A, Prescott, AZ 86305 or the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Disease Center (877-649-8322 or 602-406-6262) would be appreciated. The family would like to thank all those who gave him support during his illness: The Del Webb Center in Prescott Valley that provided exercise program for Parkinson’s Disease, the Susan J. Rheems Adult Day Center and all the caregivers at the Pleasant Valley Care Home.