MINOR NELSON          September 20, 1933  –  November 20, 2023

Minor Nelson was born to Alva and Carolyn (Callie) Nelson in Clyde, Texas on September 20, 1933, during the Great Depression. The eldest of four, he grew up on a farm in Winters, TX.  Minor lived a rich life of 90 years and on November 20, 2023 he “slipped the surly bonds of earth…and touched the face of God.”

In his young years, money was scarce but family love was not.  Minor always seemed wise beyond his years, was kind to all, and proved to be a leader with a strength from a faith in God that never failed him. The trajectory of his adult years crystallized in college when his Texas Tech football scholarship required that he join an ROTC service.  After surveying his options, Minor chose to join the Air Force for one simple reason- they were the only branch that didn’t have to march with a gun!  At Tech he met Robby Dale Davis from Kilgore, TX, married her on Sept 8, 1956, and entered pilot training on Dec 6.  With that, the die was cast.  His twenty-four years of service (twenty-three years fighter cockpit qualified) were Minor’s most exciting, demanding, and challenging times. Following his year in Vietnam- with 205 missions in an F-4- he received two Distinguished Flying Cross awards and two Air Medals, in addition to a number of other outstanding commendations awarded during his career.  In a special ceremony in Rome, the Italian Air Force commended his excellent leadership as NATO’s Chief of Inspection Team for all the Southern European region. At the completion of his service, he was proud of his 6,500 hours of fighter time- especially his 2,500 hours in the F-106, his favorite aircraft.

Minor loved his family—his wife of 67 years Robby Dale, his son Kirk, and his daughter Stephanie. His Air Force duties required many hours of time away from family- for days, weeks, months, and several years of separation- but off-duty time was always devoted to his family and church. Upon retirement as ‘Colonel Nelson’ in 1981, with Kirk out of college and Stephanie just finishing her degree, he and Robby Dale moved to Colorado Springs, where Minor and Kirk built a beautiful home in the Black Forest—Minor and Robby Dale’s dream home for the next 39 years.  During these years, Minor returned to his love of the land, faithfully tending to his home and property. He also created Western Water Conditioning Co. He dedicated much of his time to youth—as a Big Brother with YMCA, a “Shepherd” for Sunday School classes at First Presbyterian Church, a counselor for church summer camps, and as a partner in building incredible sets for children’s choirs’ Christmas plays over many years. He also served as an Elder Trustee and a Deacon at First Pres. Minor and Robby Dale also enjoyed sponsoring Air Force Academy cadets from 1983 through 2016, making a lasting impact on many lives. Minor and Robby Dale’s favorite hobby was traveling the world with family and friends.

During his years in Colorado Springs, Minor was deeply devoted to his family, which grew to include Kirk’s wife Silvana (Gentle), Stephanie’s husband Bill Clark, his grandchildren Jason, Kati, Kira and Shane, his nieces and nephews, and his great-grandchildren Beckett and Hattie (born to Jason and Kendall) and Oakley (born to Kira and Trevor Barron). Minor’s grandchildren, nieces and nephews (along with many neighborhood kids) loved playing on the treehouse, swings, and slides that he built for them, driving the Go-Kart, riding Cisco the donkey, and learning to drive an old stick-shift Jeep. They also learned how to work in the garden, build and maintain fences, cut and split trees for firewood, install water softeners, and much more. He set a strong example of work ethics and life values. 

His legacy will live on through the lives of those whose lives he touched.

A memorial service will be on January 5, 2024, at 11:00 am at First Presbyterian Church, 219 E. Bijou St., Colorado Springs, CO 80903.  Charitable donations may be made to the First Pres Youth Scholarships for summer camps, mission trips, or academic support, (https://firstprescos.org/giving). or to your favorite charity.