Lawrence E. Nelson

Lawrence Edgar Nelson.

Lawrence Edgar Nelson was born on August 24, 1930  in Chicago, Illinois to Edgar and Dorothy (nee Carlson) Nelson. He died on December 10, 2023 in Zionsville, Indiana after a brief illness. 

Larry graduated from Morgan Park Military Academy, class of 1948 and from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), class of 1952 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating from IIT, he served in the Army as a surveyor in both the Phillipines and Korea during the Korean War. After his military service, he also earned a Masters of Business Administration  degree from IIT. 

Larry worked and was President of a family sheet metal business, Nelson Bros Inc, for over 60 years until the business was sold in 2016. 

He married Lucy (nee Johnson) on October 15, 1955 in Newman, Illinois. Larry and Lucy  moved to Oak Lawn, Illinois in 1958 where they raised their family and where Larry continued to reside in the family home until 2021. 

Larry loved people, world travel, enjoying meals at favorite restaurants with friends and family, playing serious bridge, roller coasters, and attending many types of cultural activities, particularly organ music. He and Lucy took the family on annual visits to Turkey Run State Park in Indiana for over 60 years. He loved and was very proud of the achievements of his nine grandchildren and attended as many of their events as possible. He was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Oak Lawn. He was known for his generosity, big smile and friendly personality and he loved a good joke or a humorous story. He was the sort of man that people met once and never forgot. 

Larry is survived by his three sons Donald (Lisa), Dale, and David Nelson; by his nine grandchildren Joanna (Matthew Enright) Nelson, Anne (Alexander) Haab, Rebecca (Nicholas) Bailey, Jessica Nelson, Byron Nelson, Benjamin (Karen) Nelson, Peter Nelson, Lindsey Nelson, and Jacob Nelson, and by his great-grandchildren Hayden and Addison Haab. He is also survived by Janet Nelson and by his dear friend and companion Patricia D’Errico of Frankfort Illinois.  

He is preceded in death by his wife, Lucy, his daughter-in-law Barbara (nee McDowell) Nelson, his brother LeRoy Nelson and by his parents. 

There will be a visitation at Thompson and Kuenster Funeral home Monday, December 18th starting at 10:00 AM with a funeral service also at the funeral home at 12 PM. Burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, donations may made to purchase a memorial bench at Turkey Run State Park

Checks should be made out to: 

Lawrence E Nelson Living Trust

In care of:  Thompson and Kuenster Funeral Home

5570 West 95th Street

Oak Lawn, IL  60453