William Harry Nelson

WILLIAM HARRY NELSON

William Harry Nelson went by the name of “Bill,” although extended family and friends may also remember him as “Buddy.” With family at his bedside, Bill passed peacefully away in the early morning hours of Sunday, September 18, 2016 after 95 years of a life well lived.
Bill was born July 10, 1921 in Ryegate, Vermont. He was the child of the William Harland Nelson and Emma Louise Goodfellow Nelson. His siblings were Effie Mae Nelson, Lora Belle Nelson Mahoney, Alice Louise Nelson Giffen, John Findley Nelson II, Edna Lucille Nelson, and Wilma Janette Nelson Baird. He was a proud descendant of William Neilson, an early settler of Ryegate.
Bill was raised on his family’s farm at Ryegate Corner, which is now known as Home Acres Farm. Although Bill loved the Vermont countryside, he was not keen to be a farmer. On April 7, 1942, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps (later to become the U.S. Air Force). During World War II, he was under the command of the 19th American Air Force Base Unit at Seymour Johnson Field in North Carolina. Bill trained Air Force pilots until the end of the war. He would continue to serve his country in the Air Force Reserve until 1958.
After the war, he accepted a job with American Airlines, and while working in New York he met Anne Michelle Chernuk, who was a manager in the reservations department at American. They married on July 10, 1958. At first, the couple lived in Long Island, New York. Daughter Anne Elizabeth was born in 1959, and son William Michael followed in 1964. In 1967, American Airlines transferred Bill to Dallas/Fort Worth. When he got to Texas, he embraced the cowboy culture, and he was not shy about wearing boots and a Stetson hat. Soon after the family settled into their new home in Hurst, Texas, Bill bought a couple of horses, which nurtured daughter Anne’s love of riding. He taught his son Bill how to hunt and fish. Bill enjoyed nature on a grand scale, and he often took his family up to the mountains of Eagle’s Nest, New Mexico, where they could hike and fish and enjoy the view. Still, he missed the farm in Vermont, and he took his family several times back to Vermont. They also took trips back to New York to see his wife’s family.
After nearly 40 years, Bill retired from American Airlines. Retirement provided Bill more time for hobbies he loved: target shooting, hand loading bullets, woodworking and tinkering in the garage. He and Anne enjoyed retirement until ill health struck Anne in the 1980s. Bill became Anne’s devoted caregiver until her passing in 2011. Together they raised two children, traveled widely across the United States, and enjoyed watching their grandchildren grow.
A kind man to his core, Bill’s ready smile and common sense approach to life was easy to love. Bill will remain in the hearts of his family and friends forever. Survivors include: his daughter and son-in-law, Anne and Darren Kells of North Richland Hills, Texas and their children, Shannon Kells D.V.M. of Carrollton, Texas and Travis Kells and his wife Karyn Kells of North Richland Hills; his son and daughter-in-law, Bill and Jenny Nelson of Allen, Texas and their sons, William Connor Nelson of Columbia, Missouri and Kyle Nelson of Allen.