Albert Nelson

Albert Foster Nelson was born on October 31, 1924 in the Uvalde area to parents Marie Davenport Nelson and Emmett Curtis Nelson. Foster, as his family and friends called him, also had a sister Helen Van Pelt and brothers E.C. Nelson, and Milton Speck Nelson. He was preceded in death by parents and brother E.C. Nelson.
Having almost reached his 90th birthday allowed Foster to experience many historical changes in the world. Depression, WWII, Man on the Moon, Computer age, and his favorite invention, the cell Phone which he thought was great.
Foster spent most of his life in farming or ranching before he retired to what family members called the farm with his father Emmett and E.C. He continued to live there after they both passed away, and raised many wonderful gardens. Nieces and nephews spent many hours at the farm hunting doves, deer, making sausage, and listening to all the tales of the ones that got away.
Foster loved having young people around him, and he remained a kid a heart himself.
Sister Helen Van Pelt remembers when Foster was a youngster he decided that he was going to ride a bronc. Well, he didnt have a bronc to ride, but he did have a big old sow. He jumped on her back, leaned back and twisted her tail and off she went right under a lowlying tree limb and off he went. The bronc won that round.
In 1944, at the age of 20, Foster joined the Navy and served aboard the USS Hamilton for a brief period of time. During that time he contracted Encephalitis sleeping sickness and was not expected to survive. The family received a telegram that basically cautioned them about his survival. Since Emmett had a foot injury, brothers Will and Jake Nelson volunteered to take the train to Virginia and claim the body.
When the train arrived and they sadly travelled to the hospital, they were not expecting to see a conscious Foster. Helen recalled that the doctors were all truly amazed that he had recovered consciousness and the first words from his mouth were, Sir, how much time have I lost
When Baptist minister Uncle Will Nelson preached his next sermon he mentioned Foster and said, The good Lord must have laid his hand on him cause he wasnt ready for him yet. The Lord has continued to lay his hand on Foster and now he is ready for him.
Foster loved hunting, fishing, a good jigsaw puzzle, a quick game of 42, collecting and pasting pictures of wildlife and the many pictures of his nephews and nieces and their children on his refrigerator and calendar.
Fosters greatest wealth was his friends and good neighbors. Every year on his birthday, he looked forward to the pumpkin pie that neighbor Vic Hilderbran would bring him. His good ole coffee buddies Fats and Buster Page spent many hours over a cup of strong black coffee in an almost daily ritual where they traded jokes and daily local news.
Jaime Gracia became a good friend who also lent a helping hand whether it was cleaning house, mowing grass, or bringing him a plate of good Mexican food.
Foster was also a good cook. It was nothing out of the ordinary to show up and see Foster with a pot of Pinto beans on the stove and a shoulder of goat meat baking in the oven
His life was filled with hardships, but his sense of humor never faltered. One of his nurses at Amistad said that the day before he passed away he said, Im ready and just as Uncle Will Nelson said so many years ago, The Lord reached down his hand and and laid on Foster, and this time he was ready for him.
Foster was a long time member of the Baptist Church in Reagan Wells. His many family members and friends will certainly miss him.
Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 10:00 AM in Hillcrest Cemetery. Mr. Paul Stephens will officiate. Pallbearers will be Buster Page, Odie Fats Page, Jaime Gracia, and Chris Van Pelt.

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