James Stanley Nelson

Jim grew up in Minneapolis, MN by Diamond Lake, the son of Margaret and Earl Nelson. He attended Minnehaha Academy for high school and then Bethel College and Seminary in St. Paul, MN. He married Sandra Salewski in 1962 and celebrated 60 years of marriage this past August. Their daughter Kimberly was born in 1971. She married Robert O’Brien, III in a beautiful wedding in 2003. They have an eight-year-old daughter named Emily Margaret.

While he was in seminary, Jim served as student pastor at Svea Hill Church in Elk River, MN for 2-½ years. His first pastorate was in Deerwood, MN. He left Deerwood to do a Ph.D. in Theology at King’s College at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland where he and Sandy lived for another 2-½ years. During that time Jim and Sandy traveled throughout Great Britain and Europe.

Upon receiving his degree, Jim's teaching career began at George Williams College in Downers Grove, IL. In 1972 he began teaching religion and philosophy at North Park University, where he retired from teaching after 34 years (having taught for 38 years altogether).

Jim loved to travel and during his life enjoyed many opportunities to do so, many involving teaching or research abroad. He spent six weeks in Israel at Tantur outside of Bethlehem and had several sabbaticals at Cambridge and Oxford in England. He spent six weeks on the remote island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides off the coast of Scotland where he was a Church of Scotland minister for the summer.

After retiring from North Park, he spent four months at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, teaching the Christian religion to Hindu students. He also taught at Tamilnadu Theological Seminary in Madurai, South India. His wife, daughter and her husband were fortunate to be able to visit him during the Christmas holidays that year and travel throughout India together.

Along with travel, a lifelong interest of Jim’s was acquiring used books. He went on many bookstore trips with his friend Don Dayton, acquiring approximately eight thousand in his personal collection.

Jim was grateful for the many experiences he had as a teacher of religion and theology. He was also grateful for his rich Swedish heritage, his family, and all the opportunities afforded him in his life. He felt truly blessed.

Beloved husband of Sandra Nelson (nee Salewski) for sixty years. Loving father of Kimberly (Robert O’Brien) Nelson, proud grandfather of Emily Margaret O’Brien, dear brother of Phillip (Cheryl) Nelson and the late Stephen Nelson. Uncle of Drew, Dana, Mark, Lori, and Peter. Brother-in-law of Gloria (Larry) Rodgers. Fond cousin of many. Son of the late Margaret and Earl Nelson.

Visitation Saturday, February 4, 1:30pm (2:30pm funeral) at North Park Covenant Church, Sanctuary, 5250 N. Christiana, Chicago, 60625. Private inurnment at a later date.

For information contact Drake and Son Funeral Home, 773-561-6874 or www.DrakeandSonFuneralHome.com