Nelson Robert Caudill, 94

Published 10:13 am Friday, December 13, 2024

Nelson Robert Caudill, 94, of Garrard County, passed away Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at Lexington VA Medical Center, Sousley Campus. On Friday, September 19, 1930, Lewis and Maggie Caudill brought their tenth and final child into the world at their home on Crafts Collie Creek in Whitesburg, Kentucky. They named the boy Nelson Robert after one of Nelson’s four uncles who shared the creek road with Nelson’s parents and maternal grandparents. Nelson’s mother died when he was four years old, barely old enough to remember the coal mine, rock quarry and pawpaw trees that landmarked his birthplace on Crafts Collie Creek. Following her death, Nelson’s brothers and father brought him to Lincoln County’s Ottenheim settlement of more than one hundred German immigrant farming families, where his paternal grandmother and two uncles lived. For the next ten years, Nelson spent his time in the Ottenheim and Shake Rag areas just south of Stanford, attending school, helping his grandmother and riding a grocery route. What Nelson remembered most fondly from this time was running around with his friends: playing in creeks, digging holes, feeding bee hives, keeping baby squirrels, swinging on grapevines, tracking rabbits, sledding in the snow, cracking walnuts, picking blackberries, fishing at night, riding mules and—above all—”wrasslin”. A childhood full of pranks and mischief came with its share of scuffles, and Nelson welcomed each one with a chip on his shoulder as one of the smaller boys. Around the age of 15, World War II ended and Nelson’s four brothers returned home from war. He decided to quit school and work with them building houses, barns, churches and working his brothers’ tobacco crop. A hard worker all his life, Nelson never shied away from a job needing to be done, especially if he got to work with his brothers. It was at this time that Nelson became acquainted with his first love—no, not Elgene just yet— fast cars! With money in his pocket from working with his brothers, he bought a 1936 Ford Coupe. Nelson loved a fast car and later counted 25 cars he had owned during his lifetime. He seemed to associate milestones in his life with what car he was driving at the time. When he turned 18, Nelson had traded up for a 1937 Plymouth with no first gear which he drove to Cincinnati to live with his sister and get a job at the W.M. Powell Company making brass pipe fitting valves. Nelson hadn’t worked there for two years before he was drafted into the U.S. Army at the age of 20 in 1950. Nelson took 16 weeks of basic training at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas before shipping off to Korea for 17 months in an artillery company made up of three gun units. His driving skills were put to good use in his unit, as his job was to drive a 13-ton truck that pulled a Howitzer gun. Nelson was trusted with daring acts of bravery such as driving heavy weaponry along narrow Korean cliff roads at night without the use of headlights. When Nelson returned home from Korea, his life resumed as if it had never been interrupted by the war. The only difference was that now, he drove a shiny new green 1953 Pontiac Star Chief with the straight-8 engine—Pontiac’s strongest engine at the time. He drove that Pontiac home to Stanford about every two weeks. It was at this time that Nelson’s brother Hugh, a faithful follower of Christ, invited him to a revival at his church. On the second night of the revival, Nelson made his first public profession of faith and remained a steadfast believer until his dying day. Soon after, Nelson took another trip home to Hall’s Gap and walked into a restaurant where Leva Elgene Henderson worked as a waitress. Though he had seen her years before when he had helped her father build a chimney, this was his first sighting of the lovely young lady since returning from war. Elgene was dating Nelson’s cousin Charlie at the time, who (fortunately for Nelson) did not own a car. As it turns out, Nelson’s first love (a fast car) was the ticket to securing the heart of his true love and life-long soul mate, the beautiful Elgene Henderson. Nelson’s every-two-weeks visits home from Cincinnati became every-weekend visits, and the new couple’s first date was at church on Easter Sunday. Following a nine-month courtship, Nelson Caudill and Elgene Henderson were married on December 14, 1954. Their first daughter, Pamela, was born on December 8, 1955. In 1956, Nelson was laid off at Powell Valves in Cincinnati, triggering a move back to Central Kentucky where he drove a bread truck route for Kerns Bakery in Nicholasville until he retired in 1992. Nelson and Elgene’s second daughter, Robin, was born on July 24, 1959. Their third daughter, Stephanie, was born on June 3, 1970. Nelson’s goodness, kindness, patience, gentleness and self-sacrificial love toward his family never failed to reflect the love of Christ and set a consistent example for his daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren to emulate. While living in Central Kentucky, Nelson and Elgene were faithful members of Parkway Baptist Church. In 2003, they moved to Garrard County and joined Forks of Dix River Baptist Church. There they found some of the best people they had ever met and developed a great fellowship and close friendships. Like his late brother Hugh, Nelson was an avid Bible reader. When asked what were Nelson’s hobbies, Elgene replies, “The Church”. Just as Nelson was the last of the Caudill siblings to be born, he was the last to pass away on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at the age of 94. He died following three months of attentive hospice care at the Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s Sousley Campus. Nelson was the beloved husband of Leva Elgene Caudill for four days shy of 70 years. Nelson’s three lovely daughters Pamela (Jon) Hurd, Robin (David) Lane and Stephanie (Scott) Holbrook brought him six loving grandchildren whom he cherished all his days: Andrew (Stephanie) Hurd, Lauren (Stephen) Parker, Melissa Hurd, Shelby Lane, Trevor (Lexus) Holbrook and Nelson (Hannah) Lane. He also delighted in eight beautiful great-grandchildren. Funeral service will be 12:30 PM on Monday, December 16, 2024 at Spurlin Funeral Home in Lancaster with Pastor Ed Kensil and Brother Jerry Browning officiating. Burial will follow in Camp Nelson National Cemetery. Visitation will be 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Sunday, December 15, 2024 at the Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Nelson may be made to Forks of Dix River Baptist Church (5764 Lexington Road, Lancaster, KY 40444) or to the Gideons International (P.O. Box 24432, Lexington Southeast Camp, Lexington, KY 40524). www.spurlinfuneralhomelancaster.com