Joe Henry Nelson

Joe Henry Nelson, a 69-year-old resident of Princeton, died on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013 at his home, northeast of Princeton.
The body was cremated under the direction of the Greenlee-Middleton Funeral Service of Princeton. A celebration of life service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013 at the Princeton Assembly of God Church.
Mr. Nelson was born on May 9, 1944 near Princeton, the son of Orian Richard and Rosa Fidelia Constable Nelson. He lived part of his early life in the Blythedale area, where he attended school. He was a Mercer County farmer who also worked for the Rock Island Railroad for 19 years and then for the Missouri Department of Transportation for 18 years, retiring in 2004. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and horseback riding. He was a member of the Princeton Assembly of God Church.
Mr. Nelson was married in 1965 to Edra Jean Eisenbarger and the couple later divorced. He was married on Dec. 8, 1991 to Mary Evelyn Henson Girdner, who survives of the home.
He is also survived by his daughter, Jeana Sigrist and her husband, Jeff of Cosby; three sons, Bryant Nelson and his wife, Kathy of Hale, Kenneth Nelson and his wife, Penny of Princeton and Lanney Nelson and his wife, Alicia of Greenwood, Missouri; a stepson, Billy Girdner and his wife, Nicki of Windsor; 16 grandchildren; two brothers, Bob Nelson of Gallatin and Richard Nelson of Bettendorf, IA; six sisters, Betty Lacy and Ollie Wilson of Bethany, Mary Dravenstott of Holt, Molly Ransom of Topeka, KS, Velma Sweeten of Stephenville, TX and Daisy Emmack of Powersville; and by many nieces, nephews and other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Rena Stephens and Peggy Smith; one brother, Daniel Nelson; and by his former wife, Edra.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Hope Lodge of Kansas City. Contributions may be mailed to the funeral home at PO Box 316, Princeton, MO 64673.