Robert C. Nelson

Robert “Bob” Nelson, 81, passed away on Saturday, March 8, 2025. He was a beloved father, father-in-law, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Bob was born on February 23, 1944 in West Philadelphia, the son of Robert G. Nelson and Catherine C. Nelson, who used their home on North Frazier Street to build a tight-knit family instilled with the values of education, hard work and faith. 

A bright young man who excelled at William B. Hanna Elementary and William H. Shoemaker Junior High, Bob graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia and then attended Central State College, a historically black institution in Ohio, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, pledged the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and joined the school’s ROTC program. He eventually returned to his beloved Philadelphia and received his Master of Social Work degree from Temple University. He worked as an educator in the city’s public school system and served in various counseling, education and health positions. 

In the mid-1960s, he was commissioned into the U.S. Army and served overseas in the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star for his job monitoring government contractors.

In 1968, he married Sharon Newlin of Philadelphia, and the couple welcomed their only child, Robert (Rob) Damion Nelson, in 1978. 

Social work became Bob’s calling. That same year, he joined Opportunities Industrialization Center, better known as OIC, the 1964 brainchild of civil rights activist and legendary minister of Zion Baptist Church, Leon Sullivan, who spent his life fighting for self-sufficiency for African Americans and whose work helped lead to the end of apartheid in South Africa.

OIC’s core mission is to expand educational and economic opportunities for African Americans, and Bob’s tenure there spanned 35 years, rising from counselor to Executive Director in 1985 and later being named President and CEO. During that run, he created and launched multiple endeavors, including OIC Futures, a 20-year program that helped secure jobs for those with mental health challenges. His signature achievement was the creation of the Opportunities Inn, which, to this day, continues to train thousands to find work in the hospitality industry and has been replicated at OIC branches nationwide.

Over the years, Bob won numerous civic awards for his work, including honors from the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the North Philadelphia Empowerment Zone and the Multi-Cultural Affairs Congress. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Camphor United Methodist Church, where the Nelsons have been lifelong members. He also served on multiple boards and coalitions dedicated to social and economic change, and he became a prostate cancer activist after his own successful battle against the disease.

His time at OIC allowed him to meet three sitting U.S. Presidents, dine with the late Ret. Gen. Colin Powell and to meet former Secretaries of State Condoleeza Rice and Hillary Clinton. As part of his duties, he also traveled to Ethiopia and Tanzania to highlight OIC’s global impact.

During his career, OIC-Philadelphia’s headquarters on North Broad Street became Bob’s second home. He became a fixture in Philadelphia’s business community, known professionally as a tireless advocate and powerful public speaker and known personally as a devoted, proud father, talented writer, amateur keyboardist, news junkie, radio host, dapper dresser, sports fanatic and seafood lover, someone with a quick, fearless sense of humor who knew how to work the room.

Coinciding with OIC’s 50th anniversary, Bob retired in 2014, his departure recognized with an official citation from the City of Philadelphia.

Bob lived in southern New Jersey for more than three decades and spent the last few years of his life in a heartbreaking but brave battle against dementia. 

In addition to extended family and friends, Bob is survived by one son, Rob Nelson, his daughter-in-law Jenny, and two grandsons, Gabe, 5, and Miles, 2, all of Atlanta. Additional family includes one sister, Marita Turner, one niece, Tiffini Greene, and two great-nieces, Nina and Zoe, all from the Washington D.C. area.

-Lovingly submitted by the Nelson Family.

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