James B. NELSON

NELSON, James B., age 85, of Tucson, Arizona passed away on October 15, 2015 surrounded by dear Tucson friends and what his wife had described at her death as a "cloud of witnesses". For a number of years he struggled with COPD until a second bout of pneumonia was too much from which to recover. Jim was born on May 28, 1930 in Windom, MN to Oscar and Inez Nelson. He had an older brother, Douglas, whom he revered. In high school he was a three-sport athlete who played the trumpet in the band and the violin in the orchestra. He was a Boy Scout and obtained the rank of Eagle Scout. Jim attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN and graduated in 1952. He was a political science major and became president of the College Republicans. He co-chaired Religious Emphasis Week at Mac with a fellow student from South Dakota, Wilys Claire Coulter. After graduation, Wilys Claire moved to St. Cloud, MN to be a social worker and Jim attended the University of Minnesota law school for one semester after which he left to join the Army. During his time in the Army Jim and Wilys Claire were married and then moved to Olympia, WA to begin their married life together. Because he could type 80 words a minute, he was made a staff sergeant state-side while the rest of his outfit went to Korea. After his stint in the Army, he and Wilys Claire moved to New Haven, CT and he had completed his Bachelors of Divinity with a Master of Arts and his PhD from Yale. He was ordained as a minster in the United Church of Christ, and served churches in Connecticut and South Dakota before returning to Minnesota to join the faculty of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (UTS) in 1963. In Freedom Summer 1964 he and several other seminarians went to Mississippi to register Black Americans to vote. He returned to Mississippi the next summer to continue that work. The anti-Vietnam War movement had this former Army Staff Sergeant taking his family to protest rallies on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. As a result of his work with the American Indian Movement he invited a Chippewa mother and her three children to come live with the family for six months. During these years Jim and Wilys Claire switched from a suburban church to an inner city church in Minneapolis. Since the early 1970s he has championed the rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning, Intersex, and Allies community. His special interests were the fields of sexuality and theology, medical ethics, and finally addiction and theology. He was an advocate for the right to die with dignity, and as a recovering alcoholic he helped many people struggling with this disease and other issues. He wrote 12 books and had a final book in progress at the time of his passing. He also wrote 39 book chapters, 50 articles, 91 book reviews, and numerous letters to the editor. Jim lectured nationally and internationally. He was a Visiting Scholar at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and the family lived in England at that time. He lectured in Canada, French Martinique, Germany, Israel, Japan, The Netherlands, the Republic of the Philippines, and Sweden. He was a feature speaker at the Chautauqua Institute in New York on three occasions and gave commencement addresses at various law and medical schools. For 32 years and until 1995 he taught seminary students at the United Theological Seminary. Many a late night he could be found in his study in New Brighton, MN typing comments to students' papers, sometimes his comments were longer than the paper itself. Along the way Jim also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical School and taught summer school at Pacific School of Religion, Iliff School of Theology, as well as Vancouver School of Theology, just to name a few. For this scholar, teacher, lecturer, and activist, who received several honorary doctorates and awards, what mattered to him most was the person who was present with him at the given moment. He was a friend to many and deeply appreciated his many true friends throughout his life. He was described as a man with a talent and incredible capacity for friendship. He has been aptly described as peace loving, gentle and in possession of a kind spirit. He was a brilliant man who used his intellect to create thoughtful discussions on challenging issues. He was simultaneously a courageous man who was not afraid to tackle the less popular stance on a topic while being affirming to all. He had a wonderful sense of humor and an appreciation of natural beauty. He took joy in music of all kinds and it served a spiritual, life affirming purpose for his heart and his soul. As one friend put it, "the text of his life was a blessing to many." Jim is survived by his son, Stephen Nelson and wife, Denise Nelson of Maine; his grandchildren, Kristin and Bryan Nelson, also of Maine; his daughter, Mary Nelson and partner, Jeffery Chinn of California; sister-in-law, Dorothea Nelson of New York; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, George and Beverly Coulter of Wisconsin; brother-in-law, Richard Coulter and Mae Benjamin of Minnesota along with cousins, nieces, and nephews from both coasts and many places in between. Jim is predeceased by his beloved wife of 56 years, Wilys Claire Nelson. Memorial Services will be held at Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, AZ on Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. and at the First Congregational Church of Minnesota in Minneapolis on Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. Should you be interested in making a donation in Jim's name you have a number of choices that include Southside Presbyterian Church (Tucson), to Borderlinks (Tucson), First Congregational Church UCC (Minneapolis), United Theological Seminary (Minnesota), Yale Divinity School (CT), Macalester College has a James B. Nelson Scholarship Fund or to a charity of your choice. Arrangements by UOFA WILLED BODY PROGRAM.