Pastor Gary D. Nelsen, 88, of Springfield, passed away at 4:15 pm, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at Concordia Village. He was born June 7, 1936, in Newell, IA, to Arthur and Esther Christiansen Nelsen. He married his wife of 65 years, Jane Lee Brewster, on December 20, 1959, and she preceded him in death on February 6, 2025.
He is survived by his sons, Jeff (Patricia) Nelsen of Springfield and Scott (Cindy) Nelsen of Bonners Ferry, ID and his daughter, Kristen (Michael) Tinch of Springfield; eight grandchildren: Elliot (Kristin) Nelsen, Nathan (Melissa) Nelsen, Jeremy (Laura) Nelsen, Bethany (Ryan) Igo, Luke (Lauren) Nelsen, Jesse (Katrina) Tinch, Natalie (Hunter) Price and Allison Tinch; and fifteen great-grandchildren: Emma, Isaac, Olivia, Eve, Noelle, Selena, Nora, Juliette, Levi, Amelie, Jack, Scottie, Kaia, Griffin, Nolan; one sister, Gloria Osborne of Pittsburgh, PA and one nephew, Gregg Osborne. He loved and prioritized praying for his family every day.
He was preceded in death by his parents and wife, his brother in law, Glenn, and beloved niece, Anne.
Gary graduated from Iowa State University and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.
He served as pastor for Irving Park Baptist Church in Chicago, First Baptist Church in Harlan, IA, Ridgeview Baptist Church in Danville, IL, First Baptist Church in Elgin, IL and served at Cherry Hills Church from 1982 until his retirement in 1998. Then he briefly served as interim pastor at First Baptist Church, in Rantoul.
During retirement, he led small group Bible studies, mentored other pastors, was part of several mission teams and wintered in Apache Junction, AZ, where he started and led a worship service at the retirement park.
Gary was a gifted shepherd who genuinely loved people. He journaled, meditated daily on Scripture and loved hearing people's stories. He and his wife were big proponents of "conversational prayer." He loved sports and followed the Iowa Hawkeyes, Chicago Bears and St. Louis Cardinals.
His family is deeply grateful to Doug Sanders for helping our father each weekday morning, and to the gifted Concordia Village staff.
Visitation: 4-7 pm, Friday June 13, 2025, and 10 am, Saturday June 14 at Cherry Hills Church.
Memorial Service: 11 am, Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Cherry Hills Church with Pastor Jeff Nelsen officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cherry Hills Church or Cherry Hills Mission Fund.
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