Arlo Joel Nau

Arlo completed his baptismal journey in his home on September 4, 2018 while being read a prayer of peace he had written some years before. He was surrounded by his loving family in his last days, strengthened by the care and support of his beloved wife, Lynn.

He was born near Wausau, Wisconsin on September 12, 1928, to Pastor John Henry and Ms. Henrietta Nau, the third of four children. In his childhood he experienced the tragedy of losing a brother in World War II. During wartime he was enrolled at Concordia College from which he graduated with a high school diploma and two years of college. During his years at CC he played basketball and served in student government.

Upon graduation he began seminary studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in preparation for the ordained ministry. While in seminary he spent a year of vicarage at his father’s parish near Green Bay. Prior to graduation an adventurous spirit compelled him to travel across the globe, making extended stays in England, Germany, Italy, Greece, India, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.

Immediately following his ordination in 1954 he was called to serve St. Paul Lutheran Church in Annapolis, MA, with special outreach to the Lutheran midshipmen at the Naval Academy. During his ministry at St. Paul he fell in love with and married his lifelong companion, Marilyn “Lynn” Nau, then a Kindergarten teacher and developer of the St. Paul’s Lutheran School. They celebrated their nuptials on December 29, 1957 in Annapolis. During their stay in Annapolis they welcomed their first two children, Shawn Harold and Yanna Lea.

In 1963 the young family moved to West Bend, WI, where Arlo served as associate pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church. During this second pastorate Arlo and Lynn gave birth to their third child, Kyria Noël.

Sensing a call to campus ministry, Arlo soon became the Lutheran Campus Pastor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Within a couple of years of their move to Buffalo their last two children, Thadd Joel and Krista Maissa, were born. During his tenure in Buffalo he completed a Master’s Degree in Anthropology, having conducted research at the Pima Indian Reservation in Arizona. In addition to pastoral ministries he also taught New Testament courses at the university and initiated the Religious Studies Program. He soon enrolled in the doctor of theology program at the University of Toronto, completing the degree in 1984.

That same year the Nau family made the long trip westward to relocate in Phoenix Arizona, where he served as the director of the Arizona Ecumenical Council. While in Phoenix Arlo entered a creative phase of writing and publishing, completing two academic studies on the Gospel of Matthew, explorations of local Arizona cultures and customs, and books of poetry. He considered his last book, Echo Prayers, to be his finest offering. Always the innovator, in his later years he began work on Faith Ecumenical Institute, with the intent of creating a lay theological school on the campus of Faith Lutheran Church.

Arlo enjoyed growing geraniums in his Buffalo greenhouse, eating pumpkin pie (year round), exploring the country in camping trips with his family, spending time in conversation with children and grandchildren, and watching Arizona Diamondbacks games with his grandson Fletcher with a sizeable bowl of popcorn in hand. A lifelong music lover, he was known to have collections of jazz, classical, and Frank Sinatra music on the stereo while working or meditating.

Arlo is survived by his wife, Marilyn “Lynn” Nau, and their five children, Shawn (Laurie), Yanna (Ron), Kyria (Scott), Joel (Annie), and Krista (Junior), and 11 grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister Althea, and brother Virgil (Ardis).

He was preceded in death by parents Rev. John Henry and Henrietta Nau, brother Harold, and brother-in-law Orville.

A memorial service in Arlo’s honor will be held on Friday, September 7 at 2:00 PM at Faith Lutheran Church, 801 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ.

The family welcomes memorial gifts to Faith Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Phoenix and Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest.

Arlo Nau will be dearly missed by all those who loved him and those whose lives he touched over his 90 years of life. Arlo’s last sight was that of his daughter, Kyria. The last words he heard were those of his son, Joel. And the last touch he felt was the hand of his wife.