Rev. David M. Nickel, 75

Rev. David Martin Nickel, 75, of Manheim Township, Pennsylvania, was received into the reality of the resurrection of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, April 22, 2010.

Pastor Nickel preached the life saving Gospel of his Savior for 50 years: “Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  Because I died for you and live, you also will live!” (John 14)

Pastor Nickel was born March 13, 1935 in Wyandotte, Michigan, the eldest son of the late Rev. Edmund J. H. W. Nickel and Mrs. Edna B. (Krueger) Nickel.

Rev. Nickel is survived by his loving wife, Joyce M. (Halverson) Nickel of forty-nine years. Their 50^th wedding anniversary would have been celebrated on July 2.

Pastor Nickel was baptized at St. John Lutheran Church, Taylor, Michigan and was confirmed at Mount Hope Lutheran Church in Shelbyville, Missouri.  He graduated from St. Paul’s College (now Concordia University, St. Paul) in Concordia, Missouri, then received his Masters of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He was ordained into the public ministry in Bancroft, Nebraska on July 10, 1960, just one week after his wedding to Joyce at Trinity Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where he had served as vicar under the Rev. Donald Knick.

He served the Lord in many churches throughout the United States and Canada.  He was first installed on July 24, 1960 to serve four small, rural congregations in Saskatchewan, Canada: Peace Lutheran Church, Spring Valley; Christ Lutheran Church, Ormiston; St. John’s Lutheran Church, Coronach; Galilee Lutheran Church, Galilee.  He served in Saskatchewan from 1960 to 1966.  His second call was to St. Peter Lutheran Church in Scribner, Nebraska, where he served from 1966 to 1972.  He then accepted a call to Immanuel Lutheran Church, Alpena, Michigan, where he served until his retirement in 2001.  Under Pastor Nickel’s leadership, the Immanuel congregation built a new church building and started two daughter congregations.

During Pastor Nickel’s retirement, he preached and taught at a number of congregations, including Bethany Lutheran Church, Ewing, New Jersey; Hope Lutheran Church, Levittown, Pennsylvania; Calvary Lutheran Church, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; and Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lititz, Pennsylvania, where he was a member.

Surviving in addition to his wife, Joyce, is a daughter, Sherri Joy Nickel-Milstone, wife of David Milstone, of North Dartmouth, Massachusetts; a son, Jeffrey David Nickel, husband of Rachel Nickel of Lancaster, Pennsylvania; four grandchildren, Alexandra Milstone, Matthew Milstone, Natalie Nickel, and Laura Nickel; two brothers, James Nickel, husband of Ruth, of Elkhart, Indiana; Rev. Timothy Nickel, husband of Marguerite, of St. Augustine, Florida; and a sister, Julia Baker, wife of Allan, of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Celebration of the Resurrection Memorial Service on Saturday, May 8, 2010 at Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, 308 Petersburg Rd., Lititz, PA 17543 at 10:30am to be officiated by the Rev. Jeffrey Webb.  A visitation will take place at the church from 9:30-10:30am. Interment will be in the church’s memorial garden immediately following the service.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Pastor Nickel’s memory to Mount Calvary Lutheran Church. Arrangements made with the Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Chapel, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA 17543, 717-560-5100. To send the family online condolences, please visit SnyderFuneralHome.com.