Nelson W Kass

Nelson began his career at the age of 15 by playing drums at the Manhattan Hotel in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York. He graduated Hicksville High School on Long Island and attended SUNY at Fredonia as a music major, later turned elementary education major. He taught 5th grade for 13 years at Love School in Jamestown, New York when Uncle Sam gave him a free trip to Viet Nam. The school board could have given him a deferment, but missed the deadline. His “number” was 365 and he never would have been called to duty. He served as a percussionist in the Army band. Upon his return, he continued his education and received a Master’s degree in Education and a Post Master’s degree in Administration. Nelson was married in 1978 to his wife Linda and they moved to Florida in 1982 where he accepted an elementary position at Canal Point Elementary School. He resigned after 1 year and became a loan officer to a national bank. That career lasted 30 years during which he made the American dream of home ownership a reality for thousands of families in the Palm Beach County area. He was affiliated with Amerifirst, Crown Bank, Sterling Bank and Wells Fargo. Nelson played professional drums for local ballroom dance bands at various locations including the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach and the Casino in Lake Worth. When the housing “crisis” set in, he took some part time jobs, the most recent of which was working for Nespresso which he enjoyed very much and did his best to the very end. His current licenses include Mortgage, Real Estate, and Life Insurance and Annuities. He touched the lives of many people in a personable (“warm and fuzzy”) and optimistic way. He is survived by his wife Linda, son Evan , sister-in-law Sheila, niece Sheryl, and nephew Lawrence Kass.