2008 Woodie Awards
Hawk family mourns loss
Kathleen Radebaugh ’08
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: Sports
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Three days after being reported missing, Floyd "Pete" Nelson, father of former Saint Joseph's basketball player Jameer Nelson, was found by a boater who spotted the body of a black male floating in the Delaware River near Fox Point Park in Wilmington.
On Sept. 2, Delaware police received a 911 phone call from the boater and the state medical examiner later listed the death of Nelson as accidental. Since the manner of the death is listed as accidental, the state medical examiner would not disclose the cause of death.
Nelson's identity was confirmed by a scar on the right leg. His Social Security card and driver's license also were found in a wallet.
Nelson, a welder for a Delaware River tugboat company, Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., was last seen the morning of Aug. 31 around 11 a.m. James J. Johnson, Chester fire commissioner, stated that Nelson was last seen painting the underside of a barge in a dry dock area. The U.S. Coast Guard and divers began searching the neighboring township waters the following day after Nelson was reported missing.
According to Chester Police Chief John Finnegan, searchers found Nelson's lunch and car keys in the tug's kitchen area, and his car was parked near by. The underwater search stopped around 3:30 p.m. on Friday due to strong currents in the Delaware River, but continued throughout the weekend. Nelson's son, Jameer, reportedly visited the scene and talked with searchers on Friday morning.
Around 8 a.m. on Friday, more than 400 of Nelson's friends and coworkers gathered at St. Luke's Christian Church in Chester to pay respects to the family. Phil Martelli, head coach of the Saint Joseph's University basketball team, attended the ceremony along with former teammate of Nelson's, Dwayne Jones.
I will always remember that Pete Nelson loves his children and loved Jameer before he was Jameer," said Martelli. "He was there, always watching the games, and had a very special relationship with all his children.
On Sept. 2, Delaware police received a 911 phone call from the boater and the state medical examiner later listed the death of Nelson as accidental. Since the manner of the death is listed as accidental, the state medical examiner would not disclose the cause of death.
Nelson's identity was confirmed by a scar on the right leg. His Social Security card and driver's license also were found in a wallet.
Nelson, a welder for a Delaware River tugboat company, Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., was last seen the morning of Aug. 31 around 11 a.m. James J. Johnson, Chester fire commissioner, stated that Nelson was last seen painting the underside of a barge in a dry dock area. The U.S. Coast Guard and divers began searching the neighboring township waters the following day after Nelson was reported missing.
According to Chester Police Chief John Finnegan, searchers found Nelson's lunch and car keys in the tug's kitchen area, and his car was parked near by. The underwater search stopped around 3:30 p.m. on Friday due to strong currents in the Delaware River, but continued throughout the weekend. Nelson's son, Jameer, reportedly visited the scene and talked with searchers on Friday morning.
Around 8 a.m. on Friday, more than 400 of Nelson's friends and coworkers gathered at St. Luke's Christian Church in Chester to pay respects to the family. Phil Martelli, head coach of the Saint Joseph's University basketball team, attended the ceremony along with former teammate of Nelson's, Dwayne Jones.
I will always remember that Pete Nelson loves his children and loved Jameer before he was Jameer," said Martelli. "He was there, always watching the games, and had a very special relationship with all his children.
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