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Thomas C. Nelson Jr Yelm, WA QCWA # 13189 |
Thomas C Nelson Jr. Age 91, died May 18, 2011 in Olympia, Washington, following a short illness. Born on February 29, 1920, he was the oldest son of Thomas Nelson Sr., a Marin County attorney, and Helen Nelson.
Born in Mill Valley, Thomas lived there throughout his youth, graduating from Tamalpais High School and UC Berkeley.
Joining the Naval Reserves, Thomas was called to active duty in 1941 and stationed aboard the USS San Francisco. He was on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and witnessed the Japanese attack which launched the United States involvement in World War II. Following a short tour of duty on the USS San Francisco, Thomas returned to California and married Sybil Ferber, also a native of Mill Valley and a Tam High graduate.
Thomas joined the USS Enterprise in October 1942. His participation in the war led to him being shot down on October 26th during the Battle of Santa Cruz Island, captured by the Japanese, missing in action and declared dead. The City of Mill Valley named a street, Nelson Avenue, in his honor. He was subsequently discovered alive by the Red Cross in the spring of 1944 and released following the war.
Thomas was an avid amateur radio operator, had a long-time involvement in the Boy Scouts and was active in veteran organizations including Pearl Harbor Survivors and ex-POW groups.
Thomas was preceded in death by Sybil and his brother, Walter (Ted) Nelson. He is survived by his children, Pamela Rittenhouse of Sammamish WA, Thomas Nelson III of Yountville, CA and James Nelson of Las Vegas, NV as well as six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He is also survived by his wife, Kappie Nelson of Yelm, WA.
A memorial service will be held in Washington on June 12th.