HARRY "EDDIE" NELSON

Harry Edwin “Eddie” Nelson passed away December 29, 2017, at University Medical Center, in Las Vegas. Eddie was born December 22, 1927, to Werner and Violet Nelsen of Lyons, Nebraska, and was as 39-year resident of Las Vegas. His mother died when he was nine-daysold and he was raised in the Viles community by Harry and Louise Nelson, his maternal grandparents. He attended Viles Elementary School through the eighth grade and graduated from Lyons High School, class of 1945. During his youth, he attended the Divide Center Presbyterian Church, later transferring his membership to the Lyons Presbyterian Church in 1945. After high school, Eddie worked for the Lyons Mirror-Sun as well as a part-time truck driver for his grandfather until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1946. He served in the Army until he was honorably discharged in 1947 because of medical reasons involving his heart. Returning to Lyons, he worked full-time for the Mirror-Sun which was owned by C.H. Walton. He was employed at the local paper until 1951 when he accepted a position with the 15th Air Division of the U.S. Air Force as a clerical worker in Nagoya, Japan, and later Higashi Fuchu, Japan. After two years, he returned to Lyons and again went to work at the Mirror-Sun. He worked in all phases of the newspaper and also wrote a weekly sports column which featured the local high school teams. During the 1960s and 70s he worked as a teller and cashier at AkSar-Ben Race Track, as well as other racing facilities in central and eastern Nebraska in Grand Island and Columbus. Additionally, he did similar work with the Greyhound Racing Circuit in South Dakota and Florida. In 1979, he moved to Las Vegas, where he worked at various casinos as a cashier in sports booking parlors. He continued in that capacity until retiring in 1992. During his life, he was an avid sports enthusiast following high school, college and professional football, basketball and baseball. While in living in Lyons, he played and managed the local town team in baseball. He played with and was good friends with Roy Pounds and Don Kroger, two great Lyons players during the 50s-60s. Eddie is survived by his half-brother, Gregg and Edith Nelsen; as well as nieces, Natalie Francisco and Laura LaBelle. No service is planned at this time.

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