MARK ALAN NELSON. Mark was born in Parsons, Kansas, the son of Lloyd (Jerry) and Gerry Nelson. He moved with the family in 1964 to Dallas, then a year after that to Farmers Branch. So Mark grew up going to school in the Carrollton/Farmers Branch School District, and later graduated from R. L. Turner High School in 1977. He attended Brookhaven Junior College for 2 years while working in the family business heating and air conditioning. Later, he worked as an auto mechanic; later still he began installing equipment on commercial trucks. Sadly, in the mid 90s, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, due to the welding gases. And unfortunately, this, combined with the treatment, would weaken his immune system, eventually causing the deterioration of his physical body. Mark was the fifth child of eight children. He was preceded in death by his father in 1993, his mother in 2000, and his brother, Brad, in 2001. He is survived by his other siblings: Mike, Becky, Craig, Colleen, Arlene, and Jeff. He enjoyed many things, such as bowling, Cowboys football, and especially the outdoor life, including fishing (both freshwater and saltwater), and camping and hunting. He enjoyed music, and taught himself to play the guitar. He also enjoyed family and friends, and took any opportunity he could to "practice" his comedy on them. Many likely remember his one-liners and wit. Later in life, he felt a real spiritual need. This had a small beginning back in the 70s, when he briefly studied the Bible with Dan Harding, but made very little progress. However, around 2006, he again started searching for the answers to some of lifes big questions, and this led to studying the Bible again, this time with family friend, Charles Williams. This gave him the answers hed been looking for, along with giving him a wonderful hope for the future, leading up to him dedicating his life to Jehovah, and symbolizing that dedication by getting baptized in November of 2009. This opened doors of opportunity for him to share his faith with others, and take part in projects such as the building of kingdom halls. His becoming part of this worldwide brotherhood gave him a true meaning, as well as a satisfying purpose in life. Its hard to sum up someones life of more than 50 years in just a few short paragraphs, but there is no doubt that Mark touched the lives of many. Each one of us can hold onto our memories of him, and remember the good times we had with him. Marks memorial service will be 3:00 p.m., Saturday, August 15, 2015 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witness, 3698 Rosemead Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75287.