Jeanne W. Nelson

Jeanne Nelson passed away peacefully in her sleep at age 88 on December 31, 2024. She was born Dorothy Jeanne Winstead in 1936 North Carolina in the Raleigh area during the middle of the Great Depression and a few years later was moved with her parents to Newport News, Virginia. There she attended Magruder Elementary, Walter Reid Junior High School and Newport News High school, spending her formative years close to the Atlantic Ocean and the hustle and bustle of the Newport News Shipyards. She experienced World War II and several other major world conflicts, development of the TV and major appliances, the computer revolution, modern cars and airplanes and the advent of space travel, not to mention 80 years of sweeping social change. Over the course of her life she was twice married, raised three children, earned a college degree, ran a horse farm, held multiple jobs and lived in five states spread across the country. She married her first husband (since deceased) at 18 and spent the next 28 years in all of her pursuits as mother and wife. Jeanne’s second husband, John Nelson, attended the same primary schools she did and they finally got together following their 40th high school reunion, spending the rest of their time together in northern Virginia. Jeanne was an accomplished, degreed musician, having performed for many years with the Huntsville (Alabama) Symphony orchestra on piano. She enjoyed watching plays, sketching and painting, making jewelry, showing and breeding horses, gardening, word games and puzzles and walking with friends. Especially walking with friends. She lived a full life, was always paying attention to what was going on with folks and will be terribly missed.

She is survived by her husband John (Jack) Nelson of 30 years, her son Jeff Belote and wife Pam, her son Alex Belote and partner Maria, her daughter Suzanne Belote, grandson Kevin Belote, granddaughter Sarah Belote, grandson Russ Belote and wife Cathy, great granddaughter Audra Belote and great grandson Ryker Belote. Jeanne also left behind her siblings Susan Winstead and Landon Winstead II with wife Vicki, niece Sarah Caldwell with husband Terry, nephew Landon Winstead III with wife Amanda and grandniece Matilda Winstead.

Memorial contributrions in Jeanne’s name may be made to The Smithsonian National Zoo https://secure.nationalzoo.si.edu/donate/q/give?