Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Lt. Col. Rondle Lee Nelson, United States Army (Ret.)








1/30/2010

1/30/2010

Lt. Col. Rondle Lee Nelson, United States Army (Ret.)

Ron Nelson was born July 25, 1943 in Evansville, Indiana and passed away at his home in Georgetown, Texas on October 28, 2010, at the age of 67.

Ron grew up in Evansville, then attended the University of Kentucky where he received his Bachelors Degree.  He went on to achieve his Masters Degree from South Illinois University.

Ron joined the United States Army in 1966 and served for over 22 years, retiring with the rank of Lt. Colonel.

He married Sandra Ann Walsh in 1968 and they traveled the world during his Army career.  After retiring from the Army, they settled in Southern California for 17 years while Ron worked as a Program Manager for Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Ron and Sandra moved to Georgetown, Texas, in his second retirement, in 2006.  Ron was an avid model train collector, enjoyed golfing with friends and fishing with his son and grandsons.  He loved his Harley Davidson and was a proud and dedicated member of the Patriot Guard Riders for the past three years.

On November 1, Patriot Guard Riders from the Austin and CENTEX Regions  gathered in Georgetown at The Gabriels Funeral Chapel, for Ron’s last ride.  The Riders were briefed on this mission for their comrade.  A contingent of the Riders proceeded to the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Cornhill, Texas.  There they formed a line of American flags at the entrance to welcome family and friends as they arrived for the Memorial Mass.

The remainder of the Riders escorted the couch,  carrying Ron on his last mission, from the Chapel to the Church.  At the Church, six of the Riders removed Ron’s flag draped coffin from the couch and transferred it to a rolling bier.  As the coffin was moved into the Church, the Riders stood at attention and saluted  Ron for the last time.

Interment services with full military honors are to be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Left to cherish Ron’s memory are his wife of over 40 years, two daughters, one son, one sister, four grandchildren and a host of other family and friends, and his fellow Patriot Guard Riders in Texas.


My Soldier's Prayer
 
O Lord My God I praise your power,
I praise your commands from above.
You gave me a servant's heart when
I chose to protect those I love.
I gave my heart,
I gave my soul,
To toil, to fight,
To make peace my goal.
I fought for justice, fought for truth,
I defended those more helpless than I
The toll it took no one would know,
For you called me home in the wink of an eye.
Your orders were to give my life for the love of my
fellow man so I hope dear Lord I've done my job
I've done the best that I can.
You'll always be my Commander-in-Chief
My Leader, My Ultimate Guide
Please take me now to your Heaven of peace where
I may rest and abide.
Amen

With thanks to The Gabriels Funeral Chapel for biographical information.

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful post and photographs. I love that prayer. It's new to me, but deeply truthful and idealistic. Good job, Patriots.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ron Nelson left much to early and I know the people that work at JPL that knew Ron are saddened today as they read the current JPL Universe.

    Don Langford

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am saddened by the loss of an old friend. We were fellow Army aviators and served in the early to mid 1970s. I knew him to be a highly respected Officer and a sincere friend. Please accept my belated sympathies and may God grant you the wisdom to carry on as Ron would wish.Ron and I also had a common friend in Don Horlacher who has also passed. Both much too early in life but they both left such fond memories!!! Sincerely, James B. Hanna(Yazoo City, MS.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please accept my sympathy for your loss. I am Jason Horlacher, Don Horlacher's son. I was recently visiting my dad at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery and could not help but think of his friends often, even the many I had never had the pleasure of meeting. Any friend of my father's is a friend of mine. My dad spoke more of his time as a helicopter pilot more than any other assignment he held in his career and often mentioned his friends and fellow pilots with an unmistakable look of pride. Even through he held a rough exterior and no nonsense approach to things he held important, I could always tell he held a soft spot for his friends, especially the ones in uniform. Although this message is belated, I hope it finds you and you find comfort in knowing that Ron was highly respected by those who knew him and even after many years had passed, a great man who knew him had never forgotten him or those like him. God Bless.

      Delete