Our dear friends and American Heroes, Ray and Johnny, who both passed away within the past year. hearts.
A recent US Department of Veteran Affairs statistical report estimated that – of the 16 million Americans who served our country during World War II – only 620,000 are still alive. We are losing an average of 372 vets per day according to this same report, which means that the heroes of our greatest generation will all be gone by the end of 2023. Now, more than ever, it should be a national priority to capture the stories of these brave men and women before it’s too late.
For our small part, we at Nelson Home Health Care would like to honor two veterans from our family who both died within the past year, but will live forever in our hearts.
Both Johnny and Ray could be best described as “classic men.” They knew how to carry themselves not just by their fashion style (most of the time they wore dress pants and dress shirts) but also with their words.words.
They were even-tempered and listened before they spoke. They came from a generation where family values were important, as was their community, their church, the local grocery store, and their neighbors.
Johnny in WWII
Ray in WWII
Johnny was a machine gunner in World War II and was one of the courageous souls who stormed the beaches of Normandy in the historic D-Day invasion. But his greatest conquest (according to him) was when he met his future wife in Belgium during the Allied liberation of Europe. They got married in Liege and honeymooned in Luxembourg.
Ray also served in Europe when he got drafted after 1 year of high school. He was stationed initially at a hospital in Illinois before his deployment overseas. There Ray was assigned to an inspection team that would assess damage after a raid or battle.
The two men both served in Europe for the entire duration of the war – 4-plus years!
To honor their service, the Nelson family would take Johnny and Ray to their favorite restaurant for lunch on Veteran’s Day – the Applebee’s on 76th Street. As many of us know, Applebee’s does not take reservations, but they made an exception for our two heroes! Together we would share a good meal, and they would share with us the many adventures from their service and from their lives in Milwaukee with lots of laughs and an occasional tear.
After the war, Johnny returned home with his new wife and settled in West Allis. They opened a restaurant in the same town, and Johnny would later go to work for Allis-Chalmers and A.O. Smith.
Johnny
Johnny was not a man of many words. He was kind, respectful, and a hard worker as evidenced by his stories from the past. Johnny appreciated our care, and loved to spend time with his family (especially during holidays because he loved good food)!
Ray’s big ambition in life was to be a boxer. As a teenager, he was good enough to fight in the Golden Gloves competitions, but “my parents wouldn’t sign for me as they were afraid that I’d get damaged.”
Ray
Though his boxing career was over before it began, Ray did have the honor of meeting Joe Louis in Europe during the war, and visited jack Dempsey’s restaurant in New York with his Army buddies before being shipped overseas.
Ray haled from the east side of Milwaukee and always spoke of himself as a “downtown guy” as we would chuckle. He started working in his parents’ butcher shop – Lelo’s Market – as a young boy and would run errands “around town” in the family’s Model T as a 12-year-old.
“I almost broke my old man’s arm when he would crank the model T because it would kick back,” he’d often say.
He attended St Casimir Catholic School, where the nuns “were so hard” on them that he and a couple other guys decided to change schools after a couple of years.
After the war, Ray returned to the family business where he worked for most of his career. He loved Milwaukee life. Even at 99 years of age, Ray still knew every street and “joint” in the various neighborhoods.
In addition to their service in WW2, Johnny and Ray shared many things in common. They became instant friends when they first met each other at Nelson Home Health Care. They moved into our home within months of each other in late 2013.
They ate every meal together, which meant a glass of red wine for Ray at dinner, and a bottle of root beer for Johnny, followed by their favorite dessert – ice cream.
They spent a lot of time in the living room listening to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and other musical legends from their youth. Ray was also partial to Lawrence Welk and loved dancing and exercising.
To Ray and Johnny, “home” to them during their golden years was at the Nelson Home Health Care house on Crawford Avenue in Milwaukee’s Wedgewood Park neighborhood.
Dorina Nelson took care of Johnny’s wife in her last 6 months. After her passing, he decided to move into Nelson Home Health Care because he knew firsthand about our quality of care. Once he was settled, he never wanted to return to his old home because “at the Nelsons’ I have everything!”
Ray decided to move into Nelson Home Health Care after enduring the many hardships of old age, especially when living alone in several south side apartments. He even had to fend off a burglar in one of his homes, relying once again on his boxing skills!
“She stole my wallet but I kicked her ass, and she fell down the window!”
Ray’s only regret about life, he would say, was that times have changed and that he was not able to do the things that he once did.
For this reason, Ray was so grateful for Nelson Home Health Care. We reminded him of his own family life where quality time with loved ones, traditions, laughter, faith, and hard work was what mattered most.
Ray also loved Charlie, one of our pet therapy dogs. “The Whitey” as he would call him, would spend entire afternoons with Ray in his lounge chair in the living room, and even sleep with him at night.
Ray and Johnny also appreciated that their physicians, nurses, and therapists would see them at the house – a real blessing for them in their advanced age.
The two of them took advantage of all the Nelson HHC activities, like reminiscing groups, shopping at the nearby mall, and attending dances at the senior center. Perhaps their favorite amenity was the fact that their families could visit them at the Nelson house AT ANY TIME.
Whenever Johnny or Ray had appointments or were hospitalized, the Nelson family members visited frequently and touched based with the providers regarding their health while also keeping their families updated.
In our efforts to honor Johnny and Ray, we are reaching out to their families to learn more about their service and the amazing lives they led.
We are also interested in starting an oral history project to capture the legacies of these amazing men, and others like them who made the world safe for democracy, and then came home to build the largest middle class in the history of the world.
We will be forever grateful to Johnny and Ray for their sacrifices, and for the love that they shared as members of “the Nelson family.”
NHHC care makes its residents their own family and adapts to their own individual needs, from personalized care plans, to dietary requirements, room arrangement and recreational activities.