Terry W. Nelson, of Valparaiso, passed away Wednesday, October 1, 2008 in Valparaiso. He was 57.

He was born March 10, 1951 in Valparaiso, the son of Arthur H. and Barbara A. (Kubick) Nelson, both of whom preceded him in death.

On Aug. 14, 1971 in Porter, he married Katherine McCoy, who preceded him in death on May 6, 2007.

He is survived by a son, Mitchell W. Nelson of Kayenta, Ariz.; a brother, Thomas A. (Diane) Nelson of Chesterton; brothers-in-law, Douglas (Debbie) McCoy of Austin, Texas and Russell (Pauline) McCoy of LaPorte; a sister-in-law, Donna (Rory) Ketchem of Chesterton; stepfather-in-law, Carl Aderhold and mother-in-law, Betty McCoy Aderhold, both of Lowell; 6 nieces and nephews and numerous grandnieces and grandnephews.

Terry was a generous and peaceful soul. He was an impassioned Little League baseball coach, was involved in Boy Scouts and was always a hopeful Cubs fan. He was a member of the Augsburg Lutheran Church, Porter, where he participated in the Church Bell Choir. Terry was an active volunteer of the Duneland Resale Shop, an avid backer of Chesterton High School sports and was a member of the 1968 All-Conference undefeated football team at CHS. He was a former member of the Liberty Twp Volunteer Fire Department. He was employed as a millwright for Bethlehem Steel - Acelor/Mittal Steel with 38 years of service. Terry was a loving and committed husband and a dedicated, and forever supportive father.

Friends may call on the family Sunday, Oct. 5 from 2-7 p.m. A funeral service is scheduled for 6 p.m. with Pastor Erik Bernth officiating at Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home, 517 Broadway, Chesterton. Cremation will follow the services at Heritage Crematory, Portage.

An alternative to flowers would be memorials to the Augsburg Lutheran Church, Porter or the Duneland Resale, Chesterton. www.EE-FH.com

Posted 10/3/2008