Ira Doyle Nelson: Who was Willie Nelsons father?

Ira Doyle Nelson is the father of Willie Nelson. Ira Doyle Nelson’s daughter is an American country singer, guitarist, and songwriter. With help from fellow songsmith Hank Cochran, he got work as a staff writer for Pamper Music and quickly established himself as one of the most talented songwriters in the business, scoring enormous hits like “Crazy” (Patsy Cline), “Funny How Time Slips Away” (Billy Walker), and “Hello Walls” (Faron Young). He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s.

Ira Doyle Nelson: Bio Summary

Full NameIra Doyle Nelson
famous asWillie Nelson’s father
Age65 years old at the time of death
Date of Birth9 July 1913
Place of Birth United States of America
Zodiac signCancer
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityCaucasian
Children Willie Nelson, Bobbie Nelson, Ira Doyle Nelson Jr
Spouse Myrle Marie Nelson
Grandchildren Lukas Nelson, Micah Nelson, Billy Nelson,
 Paula NelsonAmy Lee NelsonLana NelsonSusie Nelson

Who is Willie Nelson’s father?

Ira Doyle Nelson was born on 9 July 1913 in Prairie Township, Searcy, Arkansas, United States of America. He was the son of William Alfred Nelson and Nancy Elizabeth (Smothers) Nelson and the brother of Clara M. Nelson and Rosa Lusetta (Nelson) Nichols.  His genealogy is traced to the American Revolutionary War, in which his ancestor John Nelson served as a major.

Ira Doyle Nelson was married to Myrle Marie (Greenhaw) Harvey, the couple tied the knot on 6 September 1929 in Newton County, Arkansas, USA per Wikitree. The couple’s son Willie Nelson was born on April 29, 1933 however, his birthday was incorrectly recorded by Dr. F. D. Sims as April 30.

ALSO, READ; Lana Nelson- Where is Willie Nelson’s daughter now?

Willie Nelson’s parents moved to Texas from Arkansas in 1929 to look for work. His grandfather, William, worked as a blacksmith, while his father worked as a mechanic. Soon after he was born, his mother left ending his parents’ marriage.  Ira Doyle Nelson moved on very quickly and remarried and also moved away leaving Willie and his sister Bobbie to be raised by their grandparents, who taught singing back in Arkansas and started their grandchildren in music.

 Willie Nelson’s grandfather bought him a guitar when he was six, and taught him a few chords, and Nelson sang gospel songs in the local church alongside Bobbie. The singer went on to write his first song at age seven, and when he was nine, he played guitar for local band Bohemian Polka.

What happened to Ira Doyle Nelson?

Willie Nelson’s father passed away on 5 December 1978, in Austin, Travis, Texas, United States, at the age of 65. The cause of his death has not been made public by the family. However, many believe he died of natural causes Ira Nelson was buried in Cook Walden Capital Parks Cemetery And Mausoleum, Austin, Travis, Texas, United States.

Willie Nelson’s younger half brother Ira Doyle Nelson Jr who was named after the Nelson patriarch also passed away on April 15th, 2015, at age 77. His cause of death was revealed to be natural Causes. Statement from Willie Nelson and sister Bobbie read-

“Doyle spent his life in many transportation related jobs including driving tour buses for folks such as Jon Bon Jovi, Van Halen, John Fogerty, and Doyle’s brother Willie. He spent several years serving transportation needs for the television and film industry. He was a gentle man who will be dearly missed.“

Ira Doyle Nelson’s daughter Bobbie Nelson also died in Austin, Texas, on March 10, 2022, at the age of 91. Her death was announced by her family via social media. The family did not reveal the cause of her death, but said that she had died “peacefully and surrounded by family.”

The legendary singer has been married four times and has eight children. Willie Nelson’s first marriage was to Martha Matthews from 1952 to 1962. The couple had three children: Lana, Susie, and Willie “Billy” Hugh Jr. Billy died by suicide in 1991. Nelson’s next marriage was to Shirley Collie in 1963. The couple divorced in 1971.

Their marriage ended when  Collie found a bill from the maternity ward of a Houston hospital charged to Nelson and Connie Koepke for the birth of Paula Carlene Nelson. The singer married his third wife Connie Koepke the same year, and they had another daughter, Amy Lee Nelson.

ALSO, READ; Amy Lee Nelson- Everything About Willie Nelson’s Daughter

Their marriage ended in a divorce in 1988 and the singer married his current wife, Annie D’Angelo, in 1991. They have two sons, Lukas Autry and Jacob Micah. In 2012, Willie Nelson learned that he fathered a daughter Rene Butts with his friend Mary Haney. Butts died in 2017.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXCsqurnZ6ZwG%2BvzqZmoqqRYrGwxcueZKednKi8r3nWoaZmr5Goeri1y6WgnmWemrm0u82sZJ%2BZpJ2ys3s%3D