Calvin Winsell Nelson, 97 passed away March 3, 2026 at 12:20 am. He was born in Nowata County, Oklahoma, the son of Julia Dora Meinecke Nelson and Frank Edward Nelson. Before he was one year old, the family moved back to Missouri in the Guilford area. He attended a rural one room school and later graduated from Guilford High School in 1946. He attended Central Business College in Kansas City for a short time and then returned to the family farm. In the summer of 1947, he took the Missouri State Teachers test, went to Northwest Missouri State Teachers College (now Northwest Missouri State University) and started teaching in a one room rural school that fall. He stayed in that position for four years until drafted in the Army in 1951. He served with the occupied forces in Germany and received an honorable discharge in 1953. He returned to Northwest Missouri State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1955 and then a Master's Degree in Education in 1956 at the University of Missouri and later a Master of Science in Mathematics degree in 1963.

On June 17, 1956 he married Virginia Pearl Jackson in Hopkins, Missouri. They moved to Kansas City, Missouri where he taught math and physics for 37 years at Northeast High School and also taught two college physics classes at the Math & Physics Institute sponsored by the University of Missouri-Kansas City. While teaching a full schedule at Northeast, he also served as athletic director for 29 years and senior class sponsor for 25 years.

He was active in The Boy Scouts and spent ten-day sessions at H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation for 23 years during the summer as adult with troop, scoutmaster or camp commissioner. He and Virginia had three sons, Randall Calvin Nelson, Lee Edward Nelson and Kevin Lane Nelson. They liked to travel and when the boys were in school, they traveled during the summer with a station wagon and tent and managed to tour all 48 contiguous states. After Calvin retired, he and Virginia started traveling again. They drove to Alaska and also traveled to Hawaii to finish all 50 US states and visited most of the Canadian provinces. They made several trips with Northwest Missouri State University Alumni Association to several European countries as well as Australia, New Zealand and the Figi Islands.

He was baptized in 1936 in the Reorganized Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ) and has served as a deacon in the church. He belongs to Phi Delta Kappa, Kansas City Retired Teachers and Lathrop Antique Car, Tractor & Small Engine Club. He also took tickets for The Chiefs for 46 years.

He is survived by his three children, Randall Calvin Nelson (Kansas City, Missouri), Lee Edward Nelson (Joplin, Missouri) and Kevin Lane Nelson & wife Kimberly (Tallman), three grandchildren, Kaden, Marin & Mckenna Nelson and one sister Phillis (Jack) Davison (Macon, Missouri)

He was preceded in death by wife Virginia (Jackson), sisters Geraldene (George) Pittenger, Bernice Volner, Dorothy (Cecil) Miller and brother Franz (Lynn) Nelson. He and Virginia were married for 58 years.

Visitation will be held from 5-7 pm Friday, March 20, at Park Lawn Northland Chapel, Liberty. Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, March 21, at Liberty Community of Christ Church, Liberty. Burial in Glenridge Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the church or the American Cancer Society.