Lon Nelson

A graveside service for Lon Nelson is set for May 6, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at the Holdenville, Oklahoma Cemetery. Lon Victor Nelson, son of Floyd V. Nelson and Pauline D. Nelson, passed away on July 26, 2022 at the age of 86 in a hospice facility near his home in Rancho Mirage, CA.

Lon is survived by his daughter, Tracey Stressling of Menifee, CA and two granddaughters, Krystal Stressling and Nicole Stressling. He is also survived by his son, Kevin Nelson (Tarra) of Cummings, GA and his sister, Paula Ruth Thomas of Sacramento, CA and her son, Jay Thomas (Kristen) and family.

Lon was named after his maternal grandfather, Lon B. Chesnutt, local pioneer lumberyard owner in Holdenville, OK. Lon grew up in Holdenville and joined the local Methodist Church before lettering in football and graduating from Holdenville High School. He attended the University of the South in Sewanee, TN for one year on a football scholarship before returning to Oklahoma and attending Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. In 1958 he joined the U.S. Army and served in Europe for four years. During this period he married Charlene Smith of Holdenville and they enjoyed traveling when he was not working on helicopters as a mechanic and then as an administrative clerk, as he spoke some French.

He denied every travelingin any helicopter that he had worked on. In 1964 the couple moved to Scottsdale, AZ where he worked in the financial industry. Later they moved to Southern California where they raised their children. Charlene predeceased Lon in 1989. Lon worked most of his life in defense industry sales, primarily in Southern California before moving to the Seattle area in 1981. He returned to the Palm Springs area in 2010. Lon was always a positive person and the life of the party. He would always lend a hand to others and show hospitality to strangers. He will be greatly missed by both friends and family.