Nelson F. Tuxbury, 76 of Zephyrhills died on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at the Gulfside Hospice House in Zephyrhills.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, he was the son of Ret. US Navy Chaplain Vernon W. Tuxbury Sr. and Marian Nelson Tuxbury. Survivors include his wife, Meredith McLean Tuxbury of 47 years of Zephyrhills and his daughter, Holly Tuxbury, of Center Hill, FL.

Nelson in also survived by a brother Vernon W. Tuxbury, Jr. (Elise) of South Burlington, VT and Mount Dora, Florida as well as a sister, Joan Tuxbury Clark, of Port Orange, FL. In recent years he enjoyed spending time at family cousin reunions . Nelson was a beloved uncle to many nieces and nephews

He traveled to many places during his youth as the son of a Navy Chaplain. He later attended the University of Rhode Island, where he graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Nelson worked in the Groton Naval Ship Yard in Connecticut for several years before moving to Northern Virginia where he worked for the Navy Department as a civil servant until he retired in 1998 at which time he was awarded the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award in recognition of his 35 years of exceptional service to the Navy dealing with the submarine program.

He was a fantastic husband, taking over many household chores and cooking upon his retirement, leaving time for Meredith to enjoy her numerous crafting hobbies. Together they liked golfing in the couple scrambles and card playing with friends. They also enjoyed vacations together, especially those to Alaska, Hawaii, Pananma Canal, and European riverboat cruises. Unfortunately Meredith never got the pictures in scrapbooks as promised. Favorite travelling companions were Meredith's sister and brother-in-law, Donald and Martha Charest. He often said he had completed everything on his "bucket list".

Nelson especially enjoyed watching his daughter grow up into a wonderful and caring adult. He attended all of her many swim meets up and down the east coast, sometime as an Official and other times just as a proud parent. He was a wonderful mentor to her via support groups. Family vacations always had special meaning to him.

An avid reader, he also enjoyed solving challenging crossword puzzles and difficult jigsaw puzzles. For many years he led the water aerobics class and called bingo at his community recreation center. He also enjoyed the many years golfing with friends and was never concerned about his score.

A friend of Bill W. for 30 years , Nelson did a lot of service work and helped many in the program.A gathering will be held 1-2:30 Saturday, March 31st at Hodges Family Funeral Home, Zephyrhills.