Rev. Nielsen Rites Held Saturday

Former Missionary and Dana College Professor Died Thurs.

Funeral services for Rev. J.P. Nielsen, 85 years of age, who died Thursday at Memorial Community Hospital, were held Saturday at First Lutheran Church.

The Rev. George Palleson officiated at the services with interment in Blair Cemetery. Assisting in the services were Dr. William Larsen, Minneapolis, secretary of the American Lutheran Church; and Dr. Paul Nyholm, Dubuque, Iowa, professor at Wartburg Theological Seminary.

Rev. Nielsen is survived by his wife, Gertrude; a son, Carl, of Lincoln; and three grandchildren.

Rev. Jorgen Peter Nielsen was born Dec. 18, 1877 in Denmark. In 1879 he came to the United States with his parents, who settled near Council Bluffs.

Rev. Nielsen graduated from Dana College in 1901 and from Trinity Seminary in 1904, after which he continued theological studies at Mount Airy Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa., for one year. Later he studied at Chicago Lutheran Seminary, Maywood, Ill., where he received his Masters Degree. He received his Doctor’s Degree from Webster University, Atlantic, Ga., in 1934.

From 1910 to 1927 Rev. Nielsen served as a missionary and educator in Japan. From 1926 to 1947 he served as professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He also served as president of the Seminary from 1932 to 1947. From 1949 to 1956 he served as superintendent of the Good Shepherd in Blair.

Ministers, former students of Rev. Nielsen, served as pallbearers. They were H.C. Jorgensen, Laurits Petersen, Alvin Petersen, Eric Christensen, F.W. Thomsen and Oscar Johnson.

The Bendorf Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~