Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts,
and we are never the same.

  Rex was just that kind of person.
   To know Rex Nelon was to admire and respect him.
    Many tributes will be written about him, and they will tell you about the singer; and we would have to agree, there was no better, ever.
   Some may mention that he was the consummate quartet man and quartet manager, and they would also be right.
   Some may even dig deep enough to tell you how much he loved his family, both his "real" and "adopted" families (the groups he sang with) and they would be getting a little closer to his true nature.
   Only a fortunate few will get to the real Rex Nelon, because he was all the above and so much more.
   This morning, when the phone rang, and I was told the sad news, I had to be quiet for a long moment to keep from crying. Rex was a very special part of my earthly experience, and the shock of him being gone hurts very deeply. I have lost a member of my "family." If you are a born again Christian, you have, too. I KNOW where Rex is, and he is now the newest singer in the heavenly choir. You can rest assured, the bass section sounds better now.
   How can we be so sure?
   I was fortunate enough to be the LeFevre's lead singer when Rex got saved. Rex had purchased the group just before he hired me, so he was my boss. It was the 3rd week of January, 1976; I had been with the group for a few years; and we were singing for a week long revival at The People's Church in Brampton, Ontario, Canada; just outside Toronto. Chuck Milhuff was the guest evangelist.
   It was either our third or fourth night there, and as was our custom, the ladies were in the hotel, and the men were sleeping on the bus. Rex was restless, and he went inside the hotel and was gone for a couple of hours. When he came back out, he was grinning from ear to ear, and just couldn't hold it in. He told us that Chuck had led him to Christ! Needless to say, we didn't get a lot of sleep that night, but that was of little consequence. The next night we "sang the house down."
   Admittedly, there was some surprise when Rex got saved. All we had seen out of him was that he "walked" a very good daily life; but Rex had realized  that there was more to salvation than that. From that day forward his life showed the change. He truly became a man who walked with God.
          (Jesus can even save lost gospel singers. Wow, what a concept!")
  To give a more complete picture of Rex, it has to be added that Rex was also a serious practical joker. (Actually, that is an understatement; he was the best.) The incident that quickly comes to mind happened when we singing in the Greensboro, NC auditorium on one of the old "all-night" sings.
   We had worked the record table before the program, the audience had gone in, and Rex and I were restocking the racks. (Back then, in the days of 33 1/3 rpm LP records, all the groups carried tall metal racks to display the albums, and we stood on the actual fiberboard record storage cases to be able to reach over the racks.)
   A lady brought a squalling child to the lobby, and proceeded to "apply" a little correction. The boy just yelled louder! Rex seized the opportunity, ducked down behind the racks, grinned real big at me, turned and yelled, "Shut up, kid." The woman spun around quickly, saw me standing behind the rack with no one else in sight, gave me a rough look, and stormed back into the auditorium. Somehow, Rex held the laughter in just until she had gone through the doors, and then he exploded!
   Oh, how I'm (no, make that we're) going to miss that grin and that laugh.
   There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who were fortunate enough to get to know the real Rex who are remembering similar stories.
   Thankfully, I am one of them.
   Last night, the world lost a great gospel singer.
   I lost a great friend . . . but only for a while!
   Keep a lookout, Rex. I will meet you on that beautiful shore.

Ron Hutchins     January 24, 2000

To see pix of Rex with the LeFevres, CLICK HERE>>

To visit the official Rex Nelon Tribute website, CLICK HERE!

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