William Durwood Nelson Obituary in Ankeny at Memorial Services of Iowa

Obituary For William Durwood Nelson

William Durwood Nelson, 80, passed away on February 10, 2026, in Des Moines, IA.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the Christian Life Center (710 NE 36th St., Ankeny). Visitation and luncheon will follow the service also at the church. Interment will take place at 3:00 p.m. at North Lawn Cemetery in Fort Dodge, IA.

William was born on July 19, 1945, in Fort Dodge, IA to Durwood and Bernice (Larson) Nelson. He attended school in Fort Dodge until his junior year when his family moved to Burnside, IA. William graduated from Central Webster in 1965. On January 8, 1965, William married Pamela Jeanene Durnell, beginning 61 years of life adventures together. They had three children, Hope, Justin, and Zachiariah. William had great love for his family, children, grandchildren, and great-grandson.

He worked many careers throughout his lifetime. In 1964, he began working for Olson Feed Warehouses as a foreman and from there he went to Virginia and Illinois building cable TV systems.

William made the decision to go to college, beginning at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge and then attending the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. In January of 1972, he graduated with honors earning his B.A. in History and Sociology. He was a member of Phi Alpha Kappa (History Honor Society) and Phi Alpha Theta (Sociology Honor Society). William took pride in his education and the education of others. In 1988, he was elected to the Fort Dodge School Board and was proud to say he never missed a meeting.

As a lifelong learner, William went on to earn his M.A. in History at UNI (January 1982) and an M.A. in Adult Performance at Drake University (May 2008). He taught both in Cedar Falls and at Lewis Central in Council Bluffs. After teaching, William worked for Horace Mann Insurance, Durnell Engineering, Central Labs, and Tone’s Spices as Human Resources Director until his retirement in September of 2012.

William is survived by his wife, Pamela Nelson; his children, Hope (Scott) Johnson of Jefferson, IA, Justin (Danielle) Nelson of Fairbanks, AK, and Zachariah (Lisa) Nelson of Lee’s Summit, MO; his grandchildren, Caleb, Emelia, Katie, Alexandra, Elijah, and Jonah; and his great-grandson, Daniel.

William was preceded in death by his parents, Durwood and Bernice Nelson; brother, James Durwood Nelson; and sister, Ella Diane Nelson.

The family would like to send a special thank you to all the nurses and staff at Iowa Methodist Medical Center, specifically the nurses and doctors who took such excellent care of William in the ICU and Younker Rehabilitation Center.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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