John Arthur Nelson

November 16, 1935 – December 28th, 2025

John Arthur (Big John) Nelson passed away peacefully at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland on December 28, 2025.

John had recently celebrated his 90th birthday.

John was born on November 16,1935 in Bellevue, Washington to Oscar Nelson and Emma Adele (Couture) Hemphill Nelson.

He attended Bellevue Highschool and received his GED after joining the Navy and receiving his Electricians training in 1954. After his honorable discharge a few years later (and with the Navy tattoos to prove it), he drove truck with Mid-Mountain and Van Dyke Trucking. Following that, he began working in construction with his first father-in-law Bob Gamble.

He and his first wife Barbara had four children,

John, Jeanne, Jody and Robert.

Eventually he started his own construction company. As a home builder, John framed many houses on the Eastside and all over Washington state, including his own home on Lake Sammamish and in the San Juans on Stuart Island.

He was well known as a very hard worker, a bit of a legend!

In his free time, John loved fishing and hunting in Washington, Alaska and British Columbia. What he truly enjoyed was flying his Cessna 180 float plane to these out of the way locations. He loved the outdoors and animals.

John made many friends over the years. He loved his family, and people in general and was the life of the party everywhere he went. He loved country music and whisky.

He had a great personality and would do anything for anyone if they needed help! When he could no longer walk, his children went up to Stuart Island and finished the cabin so that it could be sold.

John was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Gail (Ivers) Nelson, sister, Joanne (Nelson) Bornstine, daughter Zella White, sons John A Nelson, Robert C Nelson, daughters Jeanne L (Nelson) Allred and Jody L (Nelson) Backman, stepchildren Larry Schreurs, Nancy (Schreurs) Thress; eight grandchildren: John B., Robert H., Danielle, Brittany, Craig, Jessy, Bryce, and Jordan; eleven great-grandchildren: Ally, John J., Kadence, Halle, Avynn, Wyatt, Montana, Justin, Jessie, Billy, and Brayden and many nieces and nephews; sister-in-law Janice Nelson, brother-in-law Craig (Alice) Ivers, sister in law Peggy (Ivers) and Denny Willis, and first wife Barbara (Gamble) Ripper and beloved family care-giver Leslie Martin.

He was preceded in death by his parents Oscar Nelson, Emma (Couture) Hemphill Nelson Hanson, his step-father William Hanson, his half-sisters, Genevieve (Hemphill) and Harry Lough and Beverly (Hemphill) and Thomas Thornton, his brother Odin Nelson, his second wife Esther (Christen) Schreurs Nelson, stepson Jerry Schreurs, stepdaughter Linda (Schreurs) Webb, grandson David Backman and brothers-in-law Doug Bornstine, Gary Ivers and sister-in-law Nancy Ivers-Ojeda.

John is greatly missed and will be honored on

Wednesday, May 20th, 2026 at 11:30am

Interment Service to be held at

Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240^th ST Kent, WA

Following the Service there will be a gathering beginning around 2:00pm at the Redmond Eagles, 11440 Avondale Rd NE, Redmond, WA