Carl W. Nelson, Jr.

Carl W. Nelson, Jr, D.Min, lifelong Christian minister, author and teacher passed away on May 5th at The Bridge Assisted Living Home in Longmont, Colorado. He was 89. He had suffered from both Parkinson's Disease and ALS for quite some time. Carl was known as an excellent communicator and counselor and he touched and blessed the lives of many throughout his lifetime. He was a former staff member with the Young Life Christian youth organization from 1951-1981. He served for nearly 20 years as Young Life's mid-south regional director in Memphis, Tennessee. He was also a teacher with Evangelical Christian School in Memphis and later founded Grace Evangelical Church. He retired to Longmont in 1994. He is survived by his wife Jay of nearly 65 years, his sister Margaret Oltrogge of Arvada, CO, two daughters, Barbara also of Longmont, Zanne of Albuquerque, NM, his son Mark of Denver and two grandchildren, Scout and Evan McCully.Born and raised in Denver, Colorado. His parents, Carl Sr, an accountant for the Continental Oil Company and Margaret Pauline (née Johnson) a homemaker were first generation Americans of Swedish parents. He and his family were active members of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church formerly located on Acoma Street in Denver. He attended Dora Moore elementary school and graduated from South High School in 1942. Deciding early on a career in the Christian ministry, Carl enrolled in Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. However, his studies were soon interrupted by WWII. Carl enlisted in the US Navy and served for three years aboard the USS Siboney. Upon completion of his military service, he returned to his studies at Wheaton where he met Mary Jane Jay Kitchen. Carl graduated in 1949 and he and Jay were married on August 13th 1949. Together they moved to Pasadena, California where Carl completed his Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Reformed Seminary. At Fuller, Carl became involved with the Young Life Campaign and joined as a student staff member in 1951. Upon graduating from Fuller in 1952, Carl became a full-time staff member with Young Life. For over a decade he served Young Life in Tacoma, Washington, Knoxville, Tennessee and Chicago eventually settling in Memphis where he and Jay lived from 1963-1994. In 1972 he authored the book, Just the Greatest which discussed the world's greatest event “ the birth of Jesus Christ. Carl was known for his easy-going, down to earth style which engaged his readers and listeners. In the 1980s, Carl returned to school to obtain his Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He was ordained in the Evangelical Free Church of America. After retiring to Longmont, Carl continued to speak, filling pulpits and teaching around the area. He was known for his series on the topic of Heaven and his last self-published work was Heavenly Comfort Food a compilation of uplifting verses on Heaven. He was a lifelong golfer, having learned the game as a caddy at the Denver Country Club in the 1930s. He loved Colorado and made frequent driving trips to the mountains to enjoy their majesty. His favorite hobby was gardening and had a passion for growing roses.