Ouachita County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....NELSON, WILLIAM BERNARD JR. January 31, 2016 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: GINA BROWN rootsgirl36@gmail.com May 10, 2016, 7:04 am News Star World - February 02, 2016 WILLIAM BERNARD JR. NELSON According to God's plan, William Bernard (Bill) Nelson, Jr. was born July 27, 1934, in Dubach, Louisiana and went to his eternal resting place in the arms of his personal Savior, Jesus Christ on January 31, 2016. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Bernard Nelson, Sr. and Alma Gist Nelson. Visitation will be on Tuesday evening February 2, 2016 from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. at the First Baptist Church of West Monroe in the Worship Center with the celebration of his life and testimony of his faith in God at 2:00 P.M. on Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at the church. Officiating will be Dr. David Uth and Pastor Michael Wood. Services are under the direction of Kilpatrick Funeral Home of West Monroe. Bill is survived by the love of his life, Linda Lou Taylor Nelson, who has been his devoted wife for fifty-five years. Bill was blessed with four wonderful children and their spouses: William "Trey" Bernard Nelson, III (Lisa); Todd Taylor Nelson (Patti); John Timothy Nelson (Mamie) and Bonalyn Nelson Boyd (Jeffrey). He has seven grandchildren: Anna and Mary Elizabeth Nelson, Taylor Nelson, John Arthur Nelson and Spencer Nelson, Connor and Lauren Boyd, and one great grandchild, William James Caples. He is survived by his sister, Gwen Nelson Clark (Raymond). The W.B. Nelson family moved in 1944 to the Cheniere Community in Ouachita Parish where they had a small, yet thriving sawmill business. Bill was impacted for life by the values and Christian leadership at the Cheniere Baptist Church. Bill graduated from Ouachita Parish High School in 1952 and obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1957 from Louisiana Tech University, where he also ran track and joined the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He worked for Humble Oil/Exxon in Houston and Scottsdale before returning to West Monroe to join his father in the family business. With any decision making, Bill leaned on the scripture from Ephesians 3:20-21 that has guided his life: "Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power He works in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." This verse would become his mission in life as a faithful member of First Baptist Church of West Monroe where he served as a deacon, on various leadership committees and as Chairman of the First West Building Committee which led the construction of the current worship center. Bill had a passion for business and innovation. He used his engineering talents to develop new machines for the family business, earning him numerous patents and the opportunity to present nationally and at the International Pallet Congress in Switzerland. His legacy to the wood products manufacturing industry will continue on through his sons, at Nelson & Sons, Inc. Bill possessed great leadership skills and loved serving as part of many community and collegiate boards, including Chairman, Planning and Zoning Commission for West Monroe; Chairman, West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce; Chairman, Louisiana Tech Engineering Foundation; President, Louisiana Tech Foundation, where he helped to plan and implement a successful $50 million fund-raising campaign; and served on the Board of Directors for many businesses including Glenwood Hospital and Central Bank. He was also honored in his lifetime by many awards, including West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce A.O. Evans Award; Louisiana Tech Tower Medallion Award; Louisiana Tech Engineering Alumnus of the Year; Louisiana Tech Distinguished Service Award; and Louisiana Tech Engineering Alumnus of the Year. Bill's faith in his heavenly father never wavered in his final days. He was happy to share his personal testimony to young and old. Each heard of his belief that regardless of the storm, "My Anchor Holds," the title of his favorite song and the platform of his final message. A symbol of his strong faith in the power of the cross is on display through the personal gift he and Linda have shared with the members of First West--The stained cross above the baptistery in the worship center. It features the symbolic blood of Christ and is adorned with gold and jewels representing the new life offered through the death of Jesus Christ! Bill's family takes great comfort in knowing that Bill is now with his heavenly Father, as promised to believers in Christ and presented in the Holy Bible. When asked to single out the proudest moment of his life, Bill offered this: "When you look at a tombstone, you know the dash you see in between the dates? That's where the proudest moments of my life are. Of course the dates are important, but it's the dash in the middle that makes a difference -- what you did with your life." The always stylish, car loving, history erudite, and movie buff-- William Bernard Nelson, Jr.--will be remembered by his family, friends, university and church as a joyful example of a deeply committed man--one who wanted to make a difference for his Lord, and one who did exactly that. Serving as pallbearers will be Dr. Ronald Woods, James W. Moore, Jr., Tex R. Kilpatrick, T.L. Rhymes, Ron Alexander, Birch "Skip" Bell, and Tommy Gist. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/ouachita/obits/n/nelson4942nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/lafiles/ File size: 5.9 Kb