Leonard Arthur Nunn

August 2, 1929 – June 24, 2018

Leonard Arthur (Art) Nunn Jr., 88 years old, went home to his Lord and Savior on Sunday, June 24, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. Born in Amarillo, Texas on August 2, 1929, he was the son of the late Leonard Arthur Nunn Sr. and Sammie Autry Johnson Nunn. Art was the oldest of four children and was extremely proud and close to “his girls” – sisters Sammijeanne Cowden of Sealy, Texas; Judy (husband Billy) Henderson of Georgetown, Texas; and Charlotte (husband Jerry) Buchanan of Amarillo, Texas. Art accepted Christ as his personal Savior at the age of 9 on Mother’s Day at Buchanan Street Baptist Church in Amarillo. This same church licensed Art to preach, ordained him to the ministry, and supported him financially when he attended Wayland Baptist College in Plainview, Texas and later at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois from which he graduated in 1953.

Art’s first love was music and he first prepared for ministry as an Associate Pastor in music and education at Temple Baptist Church in Amarillo. While completing his BA degree at Howard Payne University, he served as a student pastor at small churches in Mercury and Rochelle, Texas. Throughout the years, Art continued his studies and education with a Master of Divinity and then a Master of Religious Education from Golden Gate Seminary in Mill Valley, California. He and Doris pastored throughout these educational years in Pocatello, Idaho; and throughout California in Albany, Roseville, Stockton and Petaluma.

During this time, Art also enlisted as a Chaplain in the U.S. Army when the age limit was raised in order to supply chaplains during the Vietnam War. He felt a strong duty and calling to serve his Lord and country. He served at Fort Ord, California and in Schwabach, Germany. At the time that he enlisted, the chaplains were told that they would be going to Vietnam after basic training and chaplaincy school. Out of the 80 men in his group, only two were sent elsewhere. Art received orders to Korea at the 38th parallel stationed at Panmumjom (the line dividing North and South Korea on the DMZ). While in Korea, Art’s pastoring heart went further than the chapel and soldiers he was serving. He began working closely with the Sung-Man Orphanage located in a small village along the DMZ. He befriended Mr. and Mrs. Sung and the children there and rallied the battalion he served to volunteer and support the orphanage and school. While he was in Korea, his greatest accomplishment was “negotiating” with the supply officer and the mess hall to help provide food, supplies and building materials to the children he loved. He was so proud when he was able to get donations to buy a refrigerator for the Sungs so they could have fresh food and be able to preserve the produce and meat that was left over from the mess hall.

Art met his wonderful wife early in his college years while visiting Buchanan Street church and close friends, Tommy and Mae Manns. He had always told Mae, “if you have a sister, I’m going to marry her!”. He was home from Moody for the summer break and finally met Mae’s sister, Doris Sneed. Art wrote: “I was attracted to Doris by her beauty, her sweet spirit and winsomeness, and the esteem in which others held her because of her charming personality – I felt a sense of peace when I was with her”. They were engaged the following summer and married on October 14, 1950 and remained so for 67 years at the time of his death.

One of the highlights of their ministry together were two mission trips through the International Mission Board Evangelism Tour to Tanzania in 1982 and 1984. Art and Doris fell in love with the Tanzanian people and culture. They worked side by side with close friends Olan and Lynn Burrow who were life-long missionaries in Tanzania. They helped with bringing clean water and cooking stoves to villages. They spoke, ministered and loved on the Tanzanian people. It was always a place close to his heart.

Both Art and Doris were commissioned as Home Missionaries by the North American Mission Board. They served in the pastoral ministry for 48 years together through churches and the chaplaincy. Art later served as the Director of Missions for 12 years in California in Sacramento and Inland Empire Associations. He then worked for the California Southern Baptist Convention for seven years as Director of the Office of Ministerial Services.

Art was a lover of God, and this showed through his relationships with his wife, children, family and friends. Although a quiet man, he had a hilarious sense of humor that continued through his last days. When he was with his three sisters, the laughter never stopped – and it was the same with friends and family. He had a long-time “joke” competition with friend Glen Paden in which they would go back and forth for years, sending jokes to one another.

Art was also a lover of people. He showed his love for his Lord by simply loving others. He was the type of pastor that even those who had no religious or spiritual background would call for help, comfort or guidance – simply because he would listen and cared. But he was also unwavering in his love for the Lord and his values. As his children have said, “he walked the walk”.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Doris Nunn; his son, Bruce Nunn and wife Becky of Glendale, Arizona; his son, Brian Nunn and wife Cheryl of Eureka, California; his daughter, Sherilyn Wadsworth and husband Larry of Scottsdale, Arizona; twelve grandchildren, Lance Nunn, Kimberly Elmore, Shiree Robinson, Jay Tipple, Tommy Sam Nunn, Breanna Nunn, Joseph Nunn, Derek Nunn, Tiffany Nunn, Savannah Nunn, Viking Wadsworth and Taylor Wadsworth; nine great-grandchildren; and a slew of family and many good friends.