WILLIAM R. NELSON is a retired sailor who devoted 20 years of his life to the sea as a merchant sailor.

He was a world traveler who visited many ports in the Near and Far East and Europe. He served three years in the U.S. Navy in WWII and participated in three invasions - Normandy, Southern France, and Okinawa.

Upon hearing from the Lord in 1979 that “This will be your last ship,” he departed from his life at sea and entered into ministry.

Bill enrolled into the Seattle Bible Training School which he attended four years. Upon graduation he accepted a position as minister of pastoral care at the Philadelphia Church in Seattle for one year. Afterwards he took to the open road with a backpack across the nation, ministering to the poor, downtrodden, and unsaved.

Finally, after about a year of travel, Bill laid aside his hitchhiking abilities and entered into a position as pastor of a mission church in Brooklyn, N.Y. Every Saturday Bill was on the streets of the improvised area of New York City passing out 500+ tracts.

Bill’s next adventure was pastoring a church in Grygia, Minn. (population 220) for three years. After a short trip to Seattle, Bill drove to Green Valley after contacting an old friend, Don Thompson, who was pastor of the Grace Chapel Church in Green Valley.

From 1994 until present, Bill lived in Green Valley and Sahuarita as a faithful and devoted member of the Grace Chapel which later became the River of Life Christian Fellowship. He was youth pastor and introduced both young and old alike to the Lord.

A memorial service Celebration for Bill will be held at the River of Life Church Christian Fellowship, Sahuarita on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make any donations to the River of Life Church.