Stanley Skyler Nelson came into this world on September 18, 1955, and passed from this world at the age of 69 on June 5, 2025. The first born son of Jesse Nelson, Jr. and Emma Sanson Nelson, Stanley was raised and spent most of his life in the small rural community of Cash Bayou in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.
A graduate of the 1977 class of Louisiana Tech University, Nelson spent the remainder of his days dedicated to uncovering his historic truths and preserving journalistic integrity as the retired longtime editor of the Catahoula News Booster and the Concordia Sentinel. Stanley was best known for his many years of unwavering dedication to shedding light on criminal injustices for the civil rights era. His words brought closure to so many hurting families across the South who thought time had forgotten them and their pain. His reports on cold cases from the 1960s in Louisiana and Mississippi earned him a finalist nomination of the Pulitzer Prize in 2011.
Nelson would follow up this already incredible accomplishment with two published books from LSU Press, as well as going on to help mentor and instruct hundreds of future journalists, researchers and honest storytellers.
It is hard to define a man who was larger than life itself. How do you summarize nearly seven decades of a legacy that paved the way for good and touched so many? Stanley Nelson was bold, determined and fearless. He was a humble hero, a truth teller, a good man. Stanley was a warrior and the written word his sword. Most importantly, though, he was a father, brother, counselor, and friend. He lived a life that was bigger and more incredible than most of us could ever hope to live. The proof is in those he left behind. In the wake of his absence that has rattled this earth and it has been felt across every corner.
Stanley was preceded in death by his father, Jesse Nelson, Jr. and his mother Emma Sanson Nelson.
Among those left to carry his memory are his children and grandchildren. His daughter Tessa Granger and her husband Todd of Deridder, LA; son Nick Nelson of Alexandria, LA and his wife Samantha; two grandsons, Seth Granger and Ben Nelson; two granddaughters, Bella Granger and Jordan Nelson, his dear companion Nancy Burnham of Deridder, LA; his brother Mark Nelson, Clayton, LA and his wife Irene Nelson; two nieces, Stephanie Ashley of Bossier City, LA and Marcy Nelson of Quitman, LA; one great nephew Colin Thibodeaux, Bowser City, LA; and the thousands of friends and loved ones will miss him dearly. May we all continue to carry forth his mission; fighting for truth and righteousness in a world that now holds one less vibrant light.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made in Stanley's memory to one of the following: Faith Baptist Church, Clayton, LA; The Manship School of Mass Communication-Journalism, Louisiana State University; The School of Communication- Journalism, Louisiana Tech University; or the Concordia Parish Library, Ferriday, LA.