Beverly Nelson (1952-2026)

Gone From Our Eyes But Not From Our Hearts

On February 20, 2026, Beverly P. Nelson entered her eternal reward. Born and raised in Greeneville, TN, she eventually found her way to Knoxville where she would marry and settle down. At the time of her passing, she was mother to two sons and two daughters-in-law, grandmother to nine grandchildren, and great-grandmother to eight great-grandchildren. For the last twenty years, she was a member at Antioch Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN where her son is the pastor. She attended faithfully, played the piano, and assisted in a children's Sunday School class until a terminal illness made being faithful more difficult. Around 2020, she became a shut-in and her health slowly began to deteriorate. For the last five years, she was able to live with her son (Andrew), daughter-in-law (Lula), and three grandchildren (Sara, Charity, and Isaac) in Blount County. As time progressed, her illness began to attack her mind and body. Sadly, this restricted much of her social life and she lost the ability to interact much with others. In spite of this, she still valued her memories of her old hometown of Greeneville and the many friends and neighbours she had known from there, the friendships she had made with co-workers from her days at TVA, her spiritual kinship with many she had met through the years at Dante Baptist Church and Antioch Baptist Church, her friends she had come to know through her marriage to George "Bo" Nelson, her nieces (Amy, Pam, and Courtney), and her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Unfortunately, many will not know her love for them and her thoughts of them because it manifested itself more in her collecting pictures of them than it did of her speaking with them. With the turning of the calendar to 2026, Beverly's health took a drastic turn. Her clarity of mind and strength of body were greatly overcome by her illness. She entered hospice care at home in February and after a short, but difficult battle, she conquered her illness through death and entered her eternal reward. Those who knew her best, viewed Beverly as a skilled pianist, a lover of bears, an exquisite baker, a good friend, a hard-worker, sacrificial, and unassuming. She will be greatly missed, but many of her personality traits and abilities live on in her grandchildren.

Concerning the arrangements, a private family gathering will be held at her graveside. In lieu of flowers, it is preferred that a donation be made to the building fund of Antioch Baptist Church in her memory. You can do so online at Donate to Antioch or by mailing a check or money order (put In Honour of Beverly Nelson on the memo line) to Antioch Baptist Church at 5709 North Broadway Street Knoxville, TN 37918. Note: If you choose to send a memorial gift online, you will need to create an account. Then click the + sign next to "Default Fund/Category" and put "In Honour of Beverly Nelson" in the memo section (see the pictures below). You may offer your condolences to the family by leaving a comment below.