Racine – Joseph James Nelson, age 91, passed away peacefully on Tuesday evening, January 21, 2014 at Becker-Shoop Center following a longtime struggle with dementia.
A lifetime resident, Joe was born in Racine on October 31, 1922 to the late Joseph Aleknowicz and Agnes Marie (nee: Wasquite) Nelson. Catholic by faith, he attended St. Mary’s Catholic School. Joe proudly served our country with the United States Army in WWII.
During his working career, he was employed by Webster Electric as a factory worker. Shortly after, he went to school to become an accomplished carpenter and self-taught architect. Joe owned & operated JN Construction – of whom specialized in building homes. He was a member of the Builders & Contractors Union Local #113. Among his interests, Joe enjoyed solving crossword puzzles, fishing, reading & collecting Civil War books, and was a faithful Green Bay Packers fan.
Surviving are his sisters, Ruth Garski of Mount Pleasant and Marge Jurik of Kenosha; sister-in-law, Lois Kilby; former wife, Elaine Nelson; and many cherished nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends – too numerous to mention by name.
In addition to his parents, Joe was preceded in death by brothers, Jim Arlington, Ray Nelson, Kenneth “Leonard” Nelson, Carl “Roy” (Hildegard) Nelson and Michael (Judy) Nelson; and brothers-in-law, Chester Garski and Joe Jurik.
Funeral services have been rescheduled to be held in the chapel of West Lawn Memorial Park, 9000 Washington Avenue, on Friday, January 31, 2014 at 12:00 noon. Military honors will follow. Visitation will be in West Lawn chapel on Friday from 11:00 am – 12:00 noon. In memory of Joe, memorials may be made to the Wisconsin “Stars & Stripes Honor Flight, Inc.”
A special note of thanks to the wonderful staff at Becker-Shoop Center for the compassionate care and tremendous support given to Joe during the past five years. May God bless all of you!
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