Norman Nelson Obituary

Rev. Dr. Norman A. Nelson
Born: February 11, 1926
Died: September 2, 2024
The Reverend Doctor Norman A. Nelson passed away peacefully at the age of 98 on September 2, 2024. He was born on February 11, 1926, the youngest of five children of the Reverend Olof and Anna Nelson. Born and raised in Chicago, he would go on to have a distinguished career as a parish pastor and take on leadership positions in Lutheran Synods and the community. He and his wife of 49 years, Joan Thorp Nelson (who predeceased him in 2004), raised five children; Beth (Greg) Smayda, Ruth, Karen (Scott) Anderson, Donald (John Prusnick) and Karl (Jena). He was also grandfather to Michael (Abigail), Kirsten and Katherine Smayda, Joseph (Emily), Stina and Garrett Anderson and Rafe and Linnea Nelson, as well as a great-grandfather of three. In addition, he and his wife Joan fostered over 75 children. Nelson remarried to Darlene Miller Nelson (who predeceased him in 2021) in 2006, with whom he shared a fifteen-year marriage. Nelson served three LCA/ELCA churches in the Chicago area: Saron Lutheran on the north side of Chicago from 1953-61; Salem Lutheran on the south side of Chicago from 1961-70 and Gloria Dei Lutheran in Downers Grove, IL from 1970-93, after which he retired but continued serving as interim pastor at numerous other churches. Nelson attended Wright Junior College, graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1949 and Augustana Theological Seminary in 1953. He completed his Doctor of Ministry in 1977 through the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), focusing on the survival of the inner-city church, a topic still relevant today. In granting him a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000, LSTC described Nelson as "a pioneer in The Lutheran Church in America's process of racial integration. His public witness for justice took him from community events and Dr. Martin Luther King's Peace Teams on riot-torn streets of Chicago's West Side, to demonstrations in Montgomery, Memphis and Washington D.C. In accepting the call to serve Gloria Dei in Downers Grove, IL, Dr. Nelson joined community leaders committed to fighting racism in the suburbs." His parish, Salem Lutheran, was the first racially integrated church in the Augustana Synod (a predecessor to the LCA and ELCA), a process which began 12 years before Nelson's arrival. Additional involvements focused on social ministry and stewardship in the LCA/ELCA, Chicago's Park Manor community and the western suburbs, and as an Augustana College, Rock Island Board member. Nelson dedicated his life to pastoral ministry, social justice and the community, leaving an indelible mark on the congregations he served, the Lutheran Church and his community. A Memorial Service will be held on October 12, 2024 at 11 a.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 4501 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL. Donations may be made in his memory to The Rev. Dr. Norman & Joan Nelson Scholarship (for students of African-American descent from Chicago) at Augustana College, Rock Island, IL, https://www.augustana.edu/giving/ways-to-give or Lutheran Social Services of Illinoishttps://www.lssi.org/make-a-gift/. Arrangements by Adams-Winterfield & Sullivan Funeral Home, 4343 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL. (630) 968-1000 or www.adamswinterfieldsullivan.com for additional information.