Thomas Nelson

Thomas (TK) K. Nelson, of Elkhart Lake passed away on November 12, 2021, at the age of 90 years old. He formerly lived in Murray Hill, New Jersey and Brookfield, Wisconsin.

TK was born on June 28, 1931, in Wauwatosa, WI, to Ernie and Edna Nelson. He graduated from Wauwatosa East High School. On August 22, 1953, he married his high school sweetheart, Beverly Jacobson in Wauwatosa. Together they raised three children, Dee-Dee, Jeff, and Kirky.

TK was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and the Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Eta Sigma scholastic fraternities. He was a graduate of the Senior Executives Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a reserve US Army officer and a retired supervisory counterintelligence agent.

He also was a retired AT&T General Manager, a member of the City of Brookfield Common Council, President of the Brookfield Board of Library Trustees, a member of the City of Brookfield Civil Service Commission and President of the Brookfield Junior Chamber of Commerce.

He was a Village of Elkhart Lake Trustee, a member of the Village of Elkhart Lake Library Board as well as a member of the Eastern Shores and the Waukesha County Federated Library System Boards, He served as a Small Business Administration counselor and was a lifetime Director of the Elkhart Lake Improvement (Lake) Association.

He is survived by Bev, his loving devoted wife of 68 years. He is further survived by his two daughters, Dee Dee (Rick) Schilffarth and Kirky Kraemer. Other survivors include his grandchildren Josh (Katie) Kraemer, Sammy (Kesler) DeRuyter, Zach Kraemer, Susie Custer (Rich Perkett), Julie Custer and Steve Custer along with his great-grandson, Thomas Jeffrey Custer and his two great grand-daughters, Cora Lin Kraemer and Avery Leiten DeRuyter. He is also survived by his sister, Shirley Olson and many nieces and other family members and friends.

TK was preceded in death by his beloved son, Jeff, who passed away in 2004; and his parents, Ernie and Edna (May) Nelson.

A time of gathering for family and friends will be held on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Ballhorn Chapels. Memory sharing by family and friends will follow the time of gathering. TK will be interred next to his son, Jeff, at Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha.

If you would like to share a message of sympathy with the family, please visit www.ballhornchapels.com and visit Thomas’ obituary page.