Carl Nelson

Carl Joseph (Vigil Jr.) Nelson, age 41, of Nixa, Missouri, and formerly of Yankton, South Dakota, was called by his Heavenly Father to be a soldier in God’s Army in heaven on Sunday, December 27, 2020. Memorial services are 2:00 PM, on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton with Reverend Katie Ricke officiating.  Inurnment will be at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Yankton with military honors provided by the Ernest-Bowyer VFW Post No. 791 and SD Army National Guard Funeral Honors.  The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, on Friday, January 15 at the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home in Yankton.  The memorial service will be live streamed on Carl’s obituary page at www.wintzrayfuneralhome.com and on our YouTube channel, Wintz Funeral Home.  Face coverings will be required for those attending the service. Pallbearers are Gerry Bollig, Chris Miner, Andrew Nelsen, Ben Nelsen, Sam Nelsen, Dustin Olson, and Jason Sejnoha. Carl was born February 10, 1979 in Lemoore, California to Carl Vigil and Linda Vigil Nelson.  Growing up, he loved to read and was an inventive child.  When the movie “Home Alone” came out his mother received many phone calls that they had seen Carl in the movies that day.  He moved with his mother to different naval bases throughout the country and the world.  But when his mom went out to sea, he would live with his grandmother, uncles and aunt in Tyndall, SD where he attended grade school.  His uncles taught him many things a boy should know including hunting, fishing, and much to his mother’s dismay, oh yes girls. After his mom retired from the Navy, they moved to Yankton when he was a sophomore in high school.  Carl graduated from Yankton High School in 1998 and then attended Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE to be an electrician.  When he was two years old and stuck a bobby pin in a light socket and flew back two feet, he grew up wanting to be an electrician.  After graduation, Carl worked in Yankton for Bauer Electric, then Muth Electric and finally for Kolberg-Pioneer.  In 2001, Carl married Tina Wolhoy and a year later in 2002, Carl enlisted in the United States Army. After 9-11 happened, he said it was his duty to serve because we live in the greatest country in the world.   He served in Iraq from 2003 to 2004 and then in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006 as an Engineer doing electrical work.  Carl became a Criminal Investigations (CID) Agent for the US Army in 2007.  He started as an E-4 and worked his way up until he was commissioned as a Warrant Officer. He received many awards for his performance and was proud of his Army service.  In 2015, Carl was discharged from the Army.  He was member of the VFW Post 791, Yankton.  After his divorce in 2015, he moved to Nixa, MO and continued his work as an electrician, first for Mr. Electric and then Maverick Electric.  In 2017, Carl started his own electrical business, All-American Electric, Nixa, MO.  Carl married the Love of his Life, Rachel Reaves, on September 19, 2019 at 9:19 am in Key West, FL. When he was younger, he enjoyed soccer, taekwondo, paint ball, hunting, fishing, golfing and setting booby traps with fishing line.  Carl also enjoyed travelling, brewing his own beer, listening to rock music, playing a little poker or craps, and playing video games with his children.  He was an excellent cook and was always trying new recipes.  He was a referee for the Wild Wood Roller Derby Team, Waynesville, MO and he was short wave radio operator KEOKGU.  He had an infectious funny personality with a beautiful smile that would light up a room and could always make people laugh.  Carl left this world too soon and will be forever missed. Carl is survived by his wife, Rachel of Nixa, MO; three children: Tiffany, Blane and Emelia of Yankton, SD; granddaughter, Zemira; stepdaughters Savannah and Masy Reaves of Nixa MO; mother, Linda (Dick) Fox of Yankton; father, Carl Vigil of Limon, CO; grandmother, Clara Bambas of Tyndall, SD; half-brother, Christopher Vigil; and a half-sister, Adriana Vigil of Colorado;  his uncles and aunt that felt he was like a brother instead of a nephew:  Marvin Mann and Deb Steenson of Bloomfield, NE, Terry (Julie) Mann of Tyndall, SD, James Mann of Parkston, SD, and Sherry (Dennis) Fischer of Tripp, SD; plus many other extended family members and Tina Wolhoy of Yankton. Carl was preceded in death by his grandfather, Edward Nelson; grandparents, Waldo and Pauline (Archuleta) Vigil; and step-grandfathers, Melvin Mann and Ray Bambas.

MEMORIAL SERVICE:

[embed]https://youtu.be/f4HTeGUjAAA[/embed]  

VIDEO TRIBUTE: