Rev. James Wendall Nylund

In addition to Karol, Jim will be lovingly remembered by his children: Sally Maude (Tom), Jim Nylund (Lori), Carrie Moore (Jeff), Matthew Nylund, Amy Dryer (Ron), and Russell Dawn (Sharon); his sister Phyllis Turner; his 9 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and ten nieces and nephews. Jim was predeceased by his parents, Edwin and Gladys, his son, Zachary, his brothers-in-law, Warren Turner, Jack Griggs, and Jim Gould, and his sister-in-law, Kathryn Gould.

Born and raised in Grand Junction, Jim was a natural athlete, lettering in football, basketball and baseball. He attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship, graduating in 1957 with a BA in Geology. Jim had the opportunity to pursue a baseball career, but instead chose to follow his love of geology, working in the Denver area as an exploration geologist for 25 years.

In the 1970’s, Jim and Karol became interested in breeding and raising horses, and in 1985 they built a horse breeding ranch in Grand Junction, where they had a very successful business showing and breeding Appaloosas. Sadly, their Appaloosa stallion died unexpectedly, so they returned to Denver in 1995. There, Jim began his third, and what he considered his most rewarding, career as a chaplain at Swedish Medical Center. Jim studied Pastoral Care and Theology at the Bishop’s Lay School of Theology and at Denver Seminary, and in 2010 he was ordained to the Anglican priesthood. Jim served as a chaplain at Swedish until 2014, and as a priest at The Light of Christ Anglican Church until 2021, when he and Karol moved back to Grand Junction.

A funeral service will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church on Saturday, October 8 at 11:00am at 840 N 11th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81501. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Redeeming Life Outreach Ministries Inc. at www.rlom.org.

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the nurses and physicians at St. Mary’s Hospital for their care and compassion.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.callahan-edfast.com for the Nylund family.