Jerry Nelson Obituary

Jerry Collins Nelson, 78, died on Feb 22, 2013. He was a long time resident of Colorado Springs, serving as a County Court Judge for 18 years. Jerry was born in Norfolk, Nebraska, on August 29th, 1934 to Harland and Georgie Sanders Nelson. He attended schools in Norfolk and in California. Jerry joined the Navy at the age of 17 and served during the Korean War. After his service, he returned to Nebraska and worked for the Nebraska Highway Patrol as a radio operator while attending the University of Nebraska. He entered Law College in 1962, and graduated in 1965. He went into private law practice in Denver, CO. for a short time and then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska to be the Assistant City Attorney and later the Lincoln City Prosecutor. Jerry moved to Colorado Springs in 1967 to be the Deputy District Attorney and later the Chief Deputy DA. He was appointed El Paso County Court Judge in 1978 and retired in 1996. Jerry was married to Kay Borrett Nelson for more than 51 years. They have two children, Susan K Nelson-Hayward of Colorado Springs, and Joel Nelson of Charlotte, NC. Jerry loved reading, fishing, hunting, traveling, photography, and traditional jazz. He was also an avid Nebraska Cornhusker fan. He and Kay traveled the entire United States and to numerous other places including Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. They enjoyed going to traditional jazz festivals around the country and Canada. Jerry is survived by his wife Kay, his daughter Susan, son Joel, and the family who calls him "Grandpa Jerry": Alexzandria, Anastashya, Angellina, and Xzavier Dodge and their parents, Kari and Ryan. He is also survived by his sisters Cathy (Roger) Griener and Harla Gosch, brother Bob (Kathy) Skelton and brother-in-law Kenneth (Kay) Borrett. A celebration of Jerry's Life will be held at 4:00 PM on March 2nd at the American Legion Hall in Colorado Springs (3613 Jeannine Dr) In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Colorado Springs Senior center, or the charity of your choice.