Jane Nelson

Obituary Jane Suggs Nelson of Morehead City passed away at home on July 16, 2014. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, at First United Methodist Church, Morehead City, with the Rev. Powell Osteen and the Rev. Joseph Franklin officiating. The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall following the service. She was pre-deceased by her parents Jacob and Florence Suggs, and her brother J.L. Suggs, Jr. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, John F. Nelson, Jr. and two sons, (1) John F. Nelson III and wife Valerie of Houston, TX, and two grandsons Alex and Will, and (2) David R. Nelson of Atlanta, GA and his two children, Denyea and David. Jane was born and grew up in Durham, NC. She graduated from Durham High School in 1946. After high school, she matriculated at Duke University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts & Sciences. She was elected to the Whos Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges while attending the Womens College of Duke University. Jane began taking piano lessons at a very early age and continued studying music until she finished high school. She loved the piano and became an outstanding pianist, subsequently developing skills to play the organ. Jane started playing the piano and organ at her church at the age of fifteen and continued to do so through her college years at Duke. After graduating from college in 1950, Jane was hired by Raleigh City Schools to teach Health and Physical Education at Needham Broughton High School. Here she met another first year teacher, John Nelson on the first day of their careers. They began dating the first week of school and they are still together 64 years later. Jane married 2nd Lieutenant John Nelson, USMCR on February 9th, 1952 in Durham, NC. John immediately left for the Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton, CA. When John left for Korea in July, Jane moved to San Diego and taught school there for the next two years. When John returned from Korea, she and John returned to Raleigh and resumed teaching in the same high school system. Her teaching career included teaching and coaching at Montgomery Junior College in Maryland and finally at Morehead Middle School. There, she taught girls Health & Physical Education, directed the school chorus and coached the girls basketball team. She continued to teach until her retirement in 1987. A year after she moved to Morehead City in 1965, she began singing in the First United Methodist Church Choir and continued to do so until 2012. While music, especially singing in the choir, was her first love, she was a very active person throughout her life. She loved boating on Bogue Sound, learning to slalom water ski at age 50. She also loved pulling the net for mullet in front of her Gales Creek house and trolling for Spanish mackerel and bluefish in front of Shackleford Banks. She was active in golf, tennis, and bridge, and one would likely find her doing one more of these almost daily until she was 84 years old. Each day, weather permitting, she would walk 4 miles with her walking buddies in Mitchell Village and Mansfield Park. Jane was very popular with the girls she taught and with the teachers with whom she worked. Because of her personality, her always pleasant smile, and a non-threatening demeanor, she was able to make them comfortable as they came to her for help with issues and personal problems. She rarely had discipline problems in her classroom that she couldnt handle with a few kind words and encouragement to change their behavior. Her former students remember her well and addressed her as Ms. Nelson when they saw her anywhere. Some of the characteristics that led students to like her also caused adults to like her. She was always pleasant and easy to talk to for everyone. She would never participate in a negative conversation about other people, did not like to criticize others, and did not participate in those conversations. Among her guides to living were the old sayings you can attract more bees with honey than you can with vinegar and if you cant say something nice about someone, dont say anything. She used these two with John when appropriate. She tried to make friends with everyone. Janes strong faith in God and Jesus Christ guided her throughout her life. She was faithful in her attendance at church and active as a church volunteer wherever she lived, from Durham to San Diego to Morehead City. Jane lived a truly Christian lifestyle and practiced her religion everyday of her life. This was the life of a truly great lady. Flowers are welcome or donations may be made to Carteret General Hospital Foundation for Hospice of Carteret County, P. O. Drawer 1619, Morehead City, NC 28557, First United Methodist Church Choir, 900 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557 or the charity of ones choice. Funeral Service 1:00 p.m. ,Tuesday, July 22, 2014 First United Methodist Church 900 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 Visitation Following Service First United Methodist Church 900 Arendell Street Morehead City, NC 28557 Services You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Jane Nelson