Jimmy "Jim" Lewis Nelson was born on December 31, 1946, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, to parents May Elizabeth and Hubert Nelson. His family moved to Richland, Washington in 1954 and then to the greater Seattle area a year after that. He met a girl named Elizabeth Davis at that time at the Renton church of Christ. He graduated from Issaquah High School in 1964, where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. He attended Yakima Valley Junior College, the University of Washington and then Western Washington University and graduated with a degree in history and math.

He married Elizabeth "Becky" Davis on September 1, 1967. They mostly lived in the greater Seattle area with one short stint in Texas, and lived the longest time in their homes in Bellevue and Renton. He worked almost his entire adult life as a preacher and teacher at various churches, including the Burien church of Christ and lastly at the Lake Hills church of Christ. And he also worked as a transit operator for King County Metro for 18 years before retiring. He held various other jobs, often more than one at the same time, in order to provide for his family. These jobs ranged from a security guard to a parking garage attendant to a chemistry lab technician.

Jim passed away peacefully from late stage Alzheimer's disease on June 18, 2019. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Becky Nelson; his children Jennifer and Geoff Clark, Jeff Nelson, and Jessi Clayton; and his grandchildren Gavin, Toby, and Oliver Clark, Marcus Nelson, and Daisy and Penny Clayton. He is also survived by his sister Lynda Bass, and his siblings-in-law Rudyard Kipling, Ron Rogers, Mark and Jackie Davis, and Tim Davis, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 29, 2019, at 2 pm at the Renton church of Christ.