Gary W. Nelson
Gary W. Nelson, 72, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, passed away on Monday, September 26, 2022, at Elizabeth House Hospice in Flat Rock, North Carolina. He was born on March 12, 1950, to Sid H. Nelson and Marjorie E. DeHart in Henryetta, Oklahoma.
Gary and Jean Dorann Pollock were married on June 12, 1970. They had two children, Jodi Nelson- Tabor and Jennifer Nelson-Tripathi.
Gary served in the United States Air Force and was a communications specialist. After leaving the Air Force, Gary attended apprenticeship school for the sheet metal union, then worked for over 30 years as a member of Sheet Metal Local #124 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He served as the Local’s Business Manager for 15 years and then became an International Organizer with SMART (Sheet Metal/Air/Rail/Transportation International Union), based in Washington D.C., retiring in 2012.
He coached girls slow-pitch softball in the Oklahoma City area for 28 years, touching the lives of more than 500 girls not only coaching the game, but also teaching life skills such as honesty, loyalty, and self-confidence. During those 28 years he coached three different teams, won 11 national championships, and was inducted into the USA Softball (formerly USSSA) Hall of Fame and the ASA Hall of Fame. Gary was an avid hiker and loved exploring and discovering new trails in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He hiked over 1,700 miles of the Appalachian Trail and a section of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Inspired by his mother, he also had a love of classical music and nature.
Gary is survived by: his wife of 52 years, Dorann; his daughters, Jodi and Jennifer; sons-inlaw, Marc and Gaurav; sisters, Karen Slagle and Sharyn Myers; and many aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many, many friends.
A celebration of Gary’s life will be held for family and friends at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at Thunderbird Chapel, 11395 E. Highway 9, Norman, Oklahoma 73026.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his name may be made to Four Seasons Elizabeth House in Flat Rock, North Carolina, by visiting, Four Seasons Hospice, or Women’s Sports Foundation at https://www. womenssportsfoundation.org/ support-us/.