SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – The Rev. William E. Nelson, 79, died peacefully on Wednesday evening, Nov. 15, 2023, at the Jack Byrne Center of Dartmouth Health in Lebanon, N.H. He was born on July 8, 1944, in his beloved Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Arnold S. and Marie (Hanus) Nelson.
Bill was a graduate of Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, and Vanderbilt Divinity School. For several years he was active on the alumni councils of both universities.
Bill’s ministry in church settings began at Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights (Ohio), and later continued at First Church of Lakewood, UCC (Ohio). In Vermont, he served the Norwich Congregational Church and the First Congregational Church of Springfield. Bill’s last parish was the Kearsarge Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in the Andover/New London, N.H., area.
Bill and his wife Stephanie Hoover Nelson were married on July 10, 1970. They shared a rich and loving marriage, and had eight “four-legged children” (five cats and three greyhounds) whom they adored.
Bill’s lifelong interests included art, especially Abstract Impressionism, particularly Mark Rothko’s works. The focus of his vacations was often to visit art museums here and abroad. He loved all the great periods of classical music, and also the artistry of Leonard Cohen. He liked reading poetry, short stories, and books dealing with religion and theology. He enjoyed visiting other churches and absorbing sacred spaces.
He will be remembered by those who knew him as a kind, good, and gentle man who possessed a quiet sense of humor and an enjoyment of life. He was deeply spiritual. He loved a cloudy rainy day, he whistled while walking from one place to another, and never lost an opportunity to proclaim the wonders of Cleveland.
He is survived by his wife Stephanie; sister Jeanne Peterson; nieces Trish P. Iacarrino, Kris P. Hupp, and Vickie N. Smithingell; and nephews Darren Nelson and John Peterson. Stephanie’s brother Charles S. L. Hoover and her niece and nephews Deb, Mark, and Jeff Levesque had a close relationship with Bill, and they will miss him.
He was predeceased by his parents and his brother James.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Rather than sending flowers, please consider making a donation in his honor to a cause that you hold dear.