Lemuel Nelson Hamblin Jr.

GOLDEN VALLEY, Ariz. – Lemuel Nelson Hamblin Jr., 77, also known as “Nellie” and “Papa”, died Monday, August 31, 2020 after a brief illness.

Nelson was born Dec. 10, 1942, in Lewiston, to Lemuel and Lois (Redmun) Hamblin. The family moved to California after his Dad returned from World War II. Nelson graduated from Culver High in 1961, where he excelled in athletics; In addition to playing football, Nelson held the track record in the 100-yard-dash for over 20 years.

Throughout his life he had a passion for mechanics. He bought, sold and repaired cars and motorcycles for a career, and as a teenager he frequently stashed cars and motorcycles in the neighborhood, hiding them from his parents. He continued his love of cars by staying in the business operating gas stations in both Scarborough and Portland before gaining his own shop, Nelson’s Foreign Car Repair, on Ashmont Street in Portland. His specialty was Volkswagens. Along with repairing them, he raced Volkswagens “Mini Stock” at Oxford Plains Speedway, stock cars at Beech Ridge Speedway and had a room full of trophies to show for it! In the ’80s he bought a big rig and moved freight all over the country, Big Bear Trucking.

In 1963, after graduating high school, he married his girlfriend, Sharon Doty, who he had taught how to drive a stick shift in one of his old trucks! They had two daughters and later moved back to Maine. In the 1970s Nelson and Sharon invited their nephew to live with the family and soon after, Nelson had him sharing his love for speed. Eventually, in the late ’90s, Nelson moved to Florida for semi-retirement. After that, his final move was to Golden Valley, Ariz. with his wife, Marilyn, where he fulfilled his dream of living in the middle of nowhere surrounded by cars.

Nelson was predeceased by his parents; and brother, Mark.

He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Krueger-Hallett of Arizona; his two daughters, Jamie and her husband Brian Guay of South Portland, Julie and her husband Daniel Carter of Saco, their mother, Sharon of Scarborough; and Kerry and Rhonda Anderson of Scarborough; Also, his 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; a sister, Robin Williams of California, and a brother, David Hamblin of Florida.


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