I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been thinking about you a lot, especially today. You would have been 55 years old today.
As fate would have it, Cousin Jimmy is now in Heaven with you, far too soon. That has been a very hard thing for all of us to accept, but I am comforted by the fact that you are together, and I’m sure by now you’ve taken him out crabbing a few times (maybe even grandpop came with you guys). I hope you let him take you into the woods up there to observe the snakes and reptiles. I’m not sure how you felt about snakes before, but I’m sure Jimmy has begun to teach you a whole new appreciation for them.
Mom and I just closed on a house together and we are moving soon. I think you would have liked the place we got, even though I know you loved LBI. I will miss living on the Island, but I think I’ll gain a new appreciation for LBI from being a “visitor” as opposed to “resident”.
I love and miss you and Jimmy both very much. I think about how all the “great” people seem to leave this world well before their time. Maybe God chooses to do this because you guys deserve better seats in Heaven. I don’t know. I can’t question it… I just have to believe there is a reason. But anyway, please tell Jimmy hello and know that you and he are both in my thoughts all the time. Have a good birthday, Dad.
Love, your son, Ben
Love you Nelson / Lael Rutherford (Sister)
Terri, Ben and Justin
Please forgive me for not posting a tribute until now. I have from time to time come to this website and read the words of others, but somehow could never get myself to post anything. It still is amazing to me how many people a person can affect during a lifetime. So many people loved Nelson. We are all very proud of him. He truly was a special person.
You lost a wonderful, hard working husband and father. I lost my brother, my only sibling....the person in the world who shared my childhood from the beginning. There is an emptiness in my heart that can't be replaced. And now, my daughter, Devon, is going through the same thing, losing her brother, my son...the person in her life who was always there for her. She has to bear this loss for the rest of her life.
Since Jimmy died on Feb 1st, I have thought of Nelson more and more. I'm glad Jimmy had his uncle to meet him when he arrived in heaven. I keep picturing them together somewhere sharing talks about fishing and endangered species. This helps me in my grief...just knowing Nelson is there with him.
Love, Lael
Regrets and Condolences / Herbert Wittnebert (MMA Class of 75 )
Captain Hammer, Captain Hammer, Captain Hammer, KFGY The Tanker Star Mississippi Calling the Fishing Vessel Terri Lei, Captain Hammer…
I never did get a response, but over the years I made the call off the New Jersey coast more than a couple of times. Always wishing to her the exuberant replay of my good college buddy to exchange a sea story or two “…Now this aint no shit…” I will always regret not having shared moments of triumph after MMA with Nelson. This is one of those points in life when one sees the cost of good intentions, unfulfilled. My condolences to all who loved and cared for Captain Hammer. They are many and I count myself among you.
Missing you Nelson / Gail Johnson (Friend, Colleague ) Okay, I have not yet sent in my tribute. Despite the fact that Nelson was one of the most important men in my life, I've not yet allowed his absence to affect me. Well, "allowance" is perhaps not the relevant factor.
Somehow the realization that most people are not looking at this site everyday makes it easier to speak now. It seems that I want a bit of privacy, as much as it can be on a public site anyway. It has taken me entirely too much time to get my thoughts in some order. It was just too much a shock to be able to organize thoughts into any kind of understandable writing.
For all my deficiencies as a BWFA member and officer for what he wished for me to do, I am grateful for what he pushed me to do, I guess surprisingly. Many, many phone calls, exhortations, arguments, discussions, from him, they all endeared me at some level to Nelson. No matter what his agenda, he was always mindful of his constituents' deficiencies and did not harp on them. And I give a heartfelt thanks to him for that. He did indeed know well his people.
He could be really harsh when necessary but from my perspective, was always gentle when necessary. Oh my, I miss him so much! There's the professional part that was so relentless and so pertinent. But there was also the personal part that was, again from my perspective, so persuasive and so encouraging. Never mind that he was so much younger than i; he was that much more relevant, more effective, even more just plain alive! That makes it all the more troubling that he's gone so much earlier than those of us who are only followers.
Oh my, Nelson, I just hope that as you follow our progress (or not-progress) from your "spot" that you can encourage us - or forgive us.
I miss you so much! If you have anything to say to us as BWFA people, somehow let us know. But also I realize that your first loves are for your family. Just know that this BWFA member and I hope good friend also misses more than I ever realized I could miss someone. Godspeed on your journey in Heaven. I hope to see you there.
Dad.../ Ben Beideman (Son) On Christmas Day it will be seven months since you left this earth. Its still so hard to think that you're gone... I miss you so very much, we all do. Mom, Justin, and I, and Molly too, have gotten alot closer in the months that have passed since then... thats a good thing and it was overdue... sibling rivalry or whatever needed to go away... Things are going good with the fishery... they're finally seeming like they're going to allow revitalization, I just hope it's not too late. As I've observed in the goings on since you left, you really had a whole lot of respect from people the world over. From how I see it, the things you did were from the heart, out of love for the fishery and its way of life. Sometimes it's hard to see that same true love in others. This is really not a good time for me right now, so I came on here and took a look at your pictures and the great things people wrote about you. 2007 is around the corner, and with it alot of new directions for the whole family... and alot less stress. I think you'd approve, generally. I wish you were here to see it. Nothing is the same without you here. I talked mom into us setting up a foundation in your name. With it we are going to pursue some of the things you believed in. We have some ideas about things that could really help fishermen, not just longliners... And we are hoping to get some of the red tape cut re: second harvest. We are going to ask people to be trustees of the charity after the first of the year. I think you would be proud. Merry Christmas, Dad! I Love You!
Fishing history and advice will be missed / Sherry Larkin (colleague) Oh, I just don't know what to say but I had to write when I heard the news. I first met Nelson in 1997. I was new to UF and to billfish. Nelson was very helpful in helping me learn about the Atlantic HMS fishery. He was always approachable and enthusiastic. I last spoke with him at the March 2005 conference in DC and he was the same, and I just assumed our paths would continue to cross. I'm sure they will again.... Condolences to all who knew him the best. Sherry
To Hammer / Eric Hooper (Brother-in-law) This is the most difficult letter iv ever written.However its long overdue.First of all ,I want to thank God for such a great family. Most of all my Brother-in-law ,Nelson's example of how to live to your greatest potential.Im very proud of all he has done,and all of us will carry this on.More than anything Nelson taught me ,that doing what you love,your passion in life , is the way to be all u can be.I feel as if iv lost a brother,a friend ,but not a way of life.Hammer instilled in all of us, a belief that we can do anything that we set our minds to.and I for one will need his guidance, his firm hand on my shoulder when the going gets tough.............As a deckhand with Hammer, I learned more than with any other captain that i have worked for,about fishing,about celestial navigation,and about the dividends of hard work..........Our loss here is be a gain ,@ the end of the Day....as we strive to put ourselves back oncourse,missing you everyday,we will always feel proud to have been given the tools you have showed us how to use .I know you are here with us,in the rose gardens,on that couch,@ sea and everywhere we go.....The brother i never had... is with me more now ,than ever.....Keeping me oncourse,steady and true Thank You... Love ,
Eric
A Sure Hope / DI Gordon Please accept my deepest sympathy. Being acquainted with such a loss my heart goes out to you. I'm impelled to share with others the encouraging and comforting words that were shared with us at our loss. At your leisure read John 5:28,29 (Jesus own words) and Revelation 21:3-5...also Psalm 37:11...These verses gives one an assured hope that we will be with our loved ones on a peaceful, paradised earth forever, never dying or even growing old. Our Almighty God Jehovah has promised. Verse 5 of Revelation (above) reads "these words are faithful and true."... May he give you and yours peace with his words of comfort and hope.
Dad.../ Ben Beideman (Son) One of those sleepless nights again. I took a Tylenol PM I hope it kicks in soon. I'm glad Mom, Justin, and Molly went to bed early tonight...we all need sleep. I slept on and off during the day. I was drained after everything these past couple weeks. Many people came out to remember and celebrate your life yesterday, and though you didn't want anything like that, I think you'd be okay with it. I had an opportunity to meet many of the people I've heard about over the years, and that was nice. Also talking to people I've known but haven't really seen in years was good too, especially in the family. Actually, I went to Kubel's with the family and that was really nice. I just wanted to come on here and say Hi and read all the tributes of all the people who respected you. You're in my thoughts constantly. I've been sleeping on the couch where you liked to lounge after work. I feel closer to you there. They're running "Father's Day" ads on TV and it's making me sad. Good thing I can just use the DVR and skip the commercials. It would sometimes get just a little annoying when you'd call me downstairs to the office to tell you how to respond to some dialog box in Outlook or Word for the 50th time, but I wish I'd hear you doing it now. I miss you so much. Everyone does. The last two weeks have been kinda auto-pilot if you know what I mean. Things are really starting to sink in now.
I love you, Ben
my condolences / Sharon Young (colleague) As I am an advocate for The Humane Society of the U.S., Nelson and I were generally on "opposite sides of the table." That certainly didn't prevent me from respecting his skills as a dogged advocate for his industry. His devotion to his cause and his eloquence as an advocate were a good example to ALL advocates, whatever their cause. His genial nature and ability to laugh at himself and find humor even in stressful situations was a hallmark of his personality. He was larger than life in many ways and his passing was a deep shock.
I would like to offer Nelson's family my deepest sympathy on your loss. Please accept my sincere condolences.
Tributes and Condolences
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