NEW BERN, NC — On April 3, longtime woodworker and founder of Precision Moulding & Woodworks, William P. Nelson (Bill) died. His booming greeting, “Hello! What can I do for you?” will be missed by family, friends, and colleagues. 

Nelson grew up in the hardwood lumber industry. His childhood stretched from logging in South America to working with his father at a veneer mill in Pascagoula, Mississippi. After graduating from Mississippi State, in 1958, Nelson was in the first class of the National Hardwood Lumber Association and became a Certified Inspector in 1959. In 1965, he opened World Wood Co. in Houston, Texas. 

 World Wood acquired the Cove City kiln yard in 1979 and they moved the family home to New Bern in 1981. They were active in the historic district, civic theater, and the YMCA. Nelson and his wife Meredith welcomed customers from around the world into their family home and passed on the love of travel to their children and grandchildren.

In 1989, Nelson, his nephew Stan, Nancy, Tony, and Howard began Precision Moulding & Woodworks. Upon his retirement from World Wood in 2001, Nelson took over running Precision until he retired again in 2019. His hands-on approach to a lifetime of sourcing, drying, milling, selling, and shipping lumber created a world wide network of friends and colleagues. 

Nelson is survived by the couple's three children and families: son Edward Nelson, wife Beatriz; grandson Phillip, his wife Jessie and great-granddaughter, Ada Rose; and granddaughter Elizabeth Nelson; daughter Nancy, husband Anthony Difede, and granddaughter Angela Difede; son Howard S. Nelson, III.

Service and reception will be held at Oscar's Mortuary, at 2:00 PM, April 20, at First Presbyterian Church, New Bern.