Homer E. Nelson

Homer E. Nelson, 74, a resident of Bettendorf, Iowa died on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at the Select Specialty Hospital in Davenport, Iowa.
His funeral service will be held at 10:30 A.M. Friday, April 17, 2009 at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Chapel, Bettendorf. Burial will be in Pine Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the family.
He was born February 5, 1935 in Bettendorf, the son of Robert & Alma Nelson. On November 27, 1965, he was united in marriage to Margaret “Peg” Olson Heidt in Davenport.
Homer was a life-long mechanic and retired in 2001 from the City of Bettendorf after many years of faithful service.
If it had an engine, Homer could fix it. He loved working on cars, motorcycles and anything mechanical. At the time of his death, he was in the process of restoring a 1927 Model T. Although he had no interest in becoming a pilot, he was fascinated by airplanes and traveled to the annual air show in Oskosh, Wisconsin numerous times. He also enjoyed visiting the annual Thresher’s Reunion at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa and in earlier years, enjoyed dirt-track racing in and around the Quad-Cities.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Army with service in Europe and was honorably discharged in 1958.
Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Peg; his daughters, Kathleen (Jeff) Fuhr of Illinois City, Illinois, Ann (Scott) Taylor of Bettendorf and Lydia Mander of Sherrard, Illinois; his sons, Dan (Carla) Heidt of Oak Harbor, Washington, Mark (Linda) Heidt of Davenport and Robert (Jill) Nelson of Davenport; twelve grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and his brother, Morris “Gene” (Donna) Nelson of Bettendorf.
Homer was preceded in death by his son, Larry in 1973; and by his parents.