George Wesley Nelson was born to George Ejner and Lora (Swift) Nelson on February 6, 1931 at Lucas, South Dakota, joining 3 older sisters in the family.  He died on December 16, 2018 at Sioux Falls, SD.

Wesley attended grades 1-8 at the Bunnel School and then graduated from Burke High School in 1949.  After graduation he farmed with his Dad, taking over the operation when his Dad died in 1959.  Wesley was one of the first in the area to install a continuous flow grain drying system, farming over 2000 acres by himself.

Wesley lived in the same farm home for 76 years.  He married Lena (Williams) Woodden on November 24, 1977.  They were blessed by one daughter, Amy Jolenn Nelson.  Wesley also worked at the First Fidelity Bank at Income Tax season.  He was hired full-time in 1980 as Loan Officer, Insurance Agent and Vice President;  He retired from the bank in 1996 and in 2007 Wesley and Lena moved to Missouri to be near Amy and her family where they lived for 10 years before moving to TrailRidge in Sioux Falls, SD in April of 2017.

Wesley attended the Lucas Baptist Church for 76 years as member, trustee, deacon, youth sponsor, Board Secretary, and President of the Burke-Lucas Baptist Men's Fellowship.  He served his community as a Board member of the Dallas Elevator, the Burke Hospital Board of Directors, Chairman of the Lucas Cemetery Board for 49 years, Chairman of the Gregory County Republicans, the Charles Mix/Gregory County Farm Bureau, and other community groups.  He also served on the Camp Judson Camp Committee for many years.

Wesley had a wry sense of humor, and often told stories of his youth to his grandchildren.  He was an outstanding Christian man, husband, father, grandfather, friend and exceptional farmer and worker.  He often repeated some of the poems he learned in school, such as "In Flanders Field" and "The Wreck of the Hesperus."

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Ellen Greer, brothers-in-law John Greer, Clyde Tuttle, and Harold Johnson, his step-son Steve Woodden, and his step-daughter Linda (Woodden) Johnston, and two grandsons, Jonathan Woodden and Eric Woodden, and his wife, Lena, who passed away just two days prior to Wesley, on December 14, 2018.

Surviving Wesley are his daughter Amy (Steve) Knirsch; grandchildren Audra Keith, Nelson Searcy, and Emma Searcy all of Lee's Summit, MO; sisters Erma Tuttle of Winner, SD and Mildred Johnson of Burke, SD; step-son Kenn (Sheila) Woodden of St. George, UT; step-daughter Sally Woodden of Red Lodge, MT; step-son-in-law Neil Johnston of Grand Prairie, TX; 12 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday , December 22, 2018 at 10:00 AM at the Lucas Baptist Church in Lucas.  Burial will be in the Lucas Cemetery, Lucas.  Visitation will be Friday from 6:00 - 7:00 PM, with a 7 PM prayer service, at the church.