John A. Nelson, 82

John A. “Moke” Nelson, 82, of Coeur d’Alene, died Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, at Kootenai Health.

He was born Aug. 29, 1935, in Wildwood, N.J., to Nels and Catherine Nelson, where he lived until enlisting in the Navy at 19. As a pumpman, he served during the Korean War on the USS Myles C. Fox for four years until 1958, earning his GED during his service. After his honorable discharge, he began working with ARCO, traveling the seas and delivering oil to ports in Texas and Alaska. He retired in 1990.

During his travels, he met Helen Gordon in Houston, Texas, whom he married in 1980. He later adopted her son, Michael, a year afterward.

In 1987, the family moved to Helen’s childhood home in Hayden to care for her mother. John worked for a short spell greeting travelers at the Honeysuckle Chevron until his desire for true retirement in 1997.

Always rooting for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles, he was an avid sports fan and enjoyed watching our local teams. He also enjoyed boating, fishing, traveling and livening the room with “good” jokes. John had a vivacious attitude about life and always let people know that smiling was so important, no matter the challenge.

Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Helen (Gordon) Nelson, of Coeur d’Alene; brothers and sisters, Charlotte, Ed, and Carol, in Las Vegas; sons, Michael (Debora and grandchildren, Maricela and Knowlton) Nelson, of Coeur d’Alene; Thomas (Suzie and grandchildren, Eric, Kirsten, and Mark) Nelson, of Erma, N.J. and cousins, Sammie and Joe Kasprzyk, in Las Vegas. He was preceded in death by son, Johnny; brothers, Ben and Paul and sister, Anna.

A memorial service will be at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, 2017, at Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene Chapel.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Pvt. Robert Jerry Gordon memorial at Hayden City Hall. Yates Funeral Home, Coeur d’Alene Chapel is entrusted with the care of final arrangements. Please visit John’s memorial and sign his online guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.