C. Nelson Obituary (1929 - 2013)

Forrest Christopher Nelson was born in Beacon, Iowa on February 4, 1929, to Chris and Laura Nelson. He attended the Beacon school through 8th grade and graduated from Oskaloosa High School in 1946. As a boy he was a Boy Scout and loved camping. Through high school he worked as a movie projectionist. After graduation he worked at Ideal Manufacturing in Oskaloosa. In 1951 he was drafted into the Army and sent to Korea. He saw some combat at the beginning of his time there but an opening came up for a projectionist later on. Shortly after his return to civilian life, he went back to Ideal Manufacturing for a while and later attended Bradley University to study watchmaking. On June 11, 1961, Forrest married Virginia McLandsborough and they celebrated 50 years of marriage June 11, 2011. They moved to Indianola, Iowa, in the spring of 1962 where they lived most of their lives and raised two children, Christopher Nelson and Laura Nelson. For nearly 50 years, Forrest served as a faithful member of the Indianola First United Methodist Church. For several years he taped and edited the Sunday services for broadcast on the radio and later on to play for people in nursing homes. He was a member of the Men's Garden Club for several years and kept vegetable and flower gardens most of his life. Some of his produce even won prizes at the Warren County fair. He also enjoyed going on vacations to interesting places all over the U.S with his family. Forrest worked at Beymer's Jewelry Store as a watchmaker for 34 years. During his retirement, he delivered Meals on Wheels a couple times a week for about 13 years. In August 2009, Virginia was diagnosed with cancer and he dedicated much of the next 2 1/2 years taking care of her. The stress of her passing added to existing heart issues and his health wavered until his heart finally gave out on November 10, 2013. Forrest was reunited in heaven on November 10, 2013 with his wife, his parents and seven brothers and sisters. He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by his children and many family and friends. Memorials may be made to HCI of Knoxville and the Indianola First United Methodist Church. Services will be held November 15, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. at the Indianola First United Methodist Church. Visitation will be November 14, 2013, at Peterson Funeral Home in Indianola from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to HCI of Knoxville and the Indianola First United Methodist Church.