Lawrence Nelson

Lawrence O. Nelson, the eldest son of Robert Onslow and Engra Arkatie (West) Nelson Born August 17, 1923 in a log cabin in Maries County Missouri near Dixon, Mo.  Larry passed away peacefully on Sat. February 8, 2025 in his apartment at Cedarhurst Assisted Living in Wichita, Kansas.  
Larry was reared on a small homestead on the Haydon route of Maries County, Dixon Missouri.  He had an 8th grade education and then had to stop his education to work on the family farm.  When he didn’t qualify to join the military for WWII because the conditions of his feet, he supported the war effort by working at McDonald Douglas with ammunition, building air planes and giving blood.  He continued giving blood into his 90s with a total of 14 gallons all together. He later decided along with a few others to find work in SW Iowa where he was a hired hand on a farm.  This is where he met a young lady in the area and on 26 February 1952 married Virginia (Jeanie) Hester Teninty. In 1956 they bought a house in Shelby, Iowa, where they lived for 16 years.  During this time he raised 3 children.  He also studied to become a Federal Department of Agriculture meat inspector. He got his GED and received the highest score on his inspector test and began working as an inspector in Council Bluffs, Omaha and Oakland.  He was promoted and moved to North Platte.  He then was promoted again and moved to Aurora and worked in the area until his retirement after 37 years. He later moved to Chapman, KS to be near his youngest son Dale Joe and then to Wichita this past year.
 Larry was involved in churches he attended and insured his children did as well.  He loved gardening and always had plenty of vegetables and Jeanie was good at canning his produce.  He took care of his lawn and later while in his 70s and 80’s other lawns too in Ne. He also ensured his apartment in Chapman and his son’s home had lots of flowers and any produce he could grow in raised gardening beds until he moved to Wichita.
He was also strongly involved with the Lions Club for a number of years and was in many parades in Aurora as a Lion representative. He spent his retirement time between gardening, lawn care, the Lions Club activities and helping his children whenever he could.  Gardening at each home was always a priority. He was chosen as the Grand Marshall in the Chapman Labor Day parade at the age of 100.  He was chosen and served many positions at the churches he attended, Lions Club, and was even on the Chapman Housing Authority board in Chapman, KS. He also attended family reunions (every two years) in Missouri near where he lived as a child.  He always made many friends wherever he lived.  He loved his many neck ties, bolos, caps and later on in life he accumulated and showed off many pairs of decorative socks.  Larry was loved by his family and made a special impression and imprint on his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Larry is preceded in death by his parents Robert Onslow and Engra (West), his wife Jeanie Nelson, brother Fred and two sisters Anna and Evelyn.
Larry is survived by his three children Bob and wife Vickie, Helen, Dale Joe and wife Rhonda, 9 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren and one more on the way in March, and his two sisters, Jane and Stella.  
There will be two services first one will be a celebration of life service in Chapman, Kansas at the Chapman Naz Church on March 8 at 2 p.m. and a graveside burial at Kenner Cemetery near Dixon, MO. Anticipated on May 25, 2025.
Memorials are suggested to the Aurora Nebraska Lions Club.