A Memorial Service for Joe Nelson 87 a lifelong resident of Daytona Beach who passed away on February 7 at his home will be held at 11:00am Monday February 16 2009 at Seabreeze High School Auditorium 2700 N. Oleander Ave Daytona Bch FL 32118. The family will receive friends at the auditorium one hour prior to services. Joe was born in Ashland Alabama on October 14 1921. His parents Louis and Sarah Nelson immigrated from Kiev Russia in 1915 and settled in Daytona Beach in 1924 when Joe was three. Joe graduated from Mainland High School in 1939. He was the captain of the basketball team that won the State Championship in 1939 and was named to the All-State Team. He attended the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill on a basketball and baseball scholarship. In 1942 he signed a professional baseball contract with the New York Yankees and pitched in the minor leagues before entering the Navy. He married his beloved wife of 64 years Margaret on June 3 1944 in Jacksonville Beach FL while in the Navy at Mayport Naval Base. During World War II he was seriously wounded in Okinawa and awarded a Purple Heart. He resumed his career in professional baseball while attending Stetson University and graduated Cum Laude in 1949. Later he received his Masters Degree from Columbia University. He retired from professional baseball in 1949 to become a teacher and the Head Basketball Coach at Seabreeze High School. Joe coached basketball for 11 years and had a record of 261-48. The "Sandcrabs" under Nelson won 8 regional titles and 3 state championships. After retiring from coaching in 1961 he remained as Athletic Director from 1956-1969 when he became the Associate Principal. He later retired from that position in 1984 along with his wife who was a secretary at Seabreeze Junior High. In 1996 he was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame and in 1999 was selected as one of the top sixteen athletes of the 20th Century in Volusia-Flagler County area. In 2004 the gymnasium at Seabreeze High School became known as the Joe Nelson Gymnasium. In 2006 he was inducted into the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Joe was preceded in death by his parents Louis and Sarah and a brother Bill. Survivors include his wife Margaret; his daughter Sharon Farmer and husband Larry of Naples FL; his son Craig of Sopchoppy FL; his granddaughters: Barrett Farmer Brittany Farmer and Kacey Farmer Schick and her husband Tim; his sisters: Eva Meltzer and husband Lester & Ethel Seltzer; a brother Fred Nelson; sister-in-law Ann Unitan and brother-in-law Stanley Menendez along with many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers a Joe Nelson Scholar/Athlete scholarship has been set up at Seabreeze High School for a male or female graduating senior scholar/athlete. Donations can be made payable to Seabreeze High School designated for Joe Nelson Scholarship Fund Attn: Janice Carson 2700 N. Oleander Ave Daytona Beach FL 32118. Friends may send condolences to www.LohmanFuneralHomes.com. Arrangements are under the careful supervision of Lohman Funeral Home Ormond.