NELVIN VOS

July 11, 1932 – March 19, 2024 Nelvin Vos, 91, of Maxatawny, Pa., died at his home on March 19, 2024. He was the husband of Beverly (Drew) Vos. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this past August 15, 2023. Born in rural Minnesota, he was the son of Charley Vos and Jeanette (Den Ouden) Vos. He graduated from the eighth grade at Edgerton Christian Elementary School and attended Western Christian High School, Hull, Iowa, graduating in 1950. He was on the faculty of Muhlenberg College from 1965-2000 and served as Professor of English, English department head, vice-president, and Dean of the College. He lectured at a dozen institutions and was a visiting professor at Texas Tech University and the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. He was a graduate of Calvin College and earned his M.A. and PhD from the University of Chicago. Author of a dozen books on drama and the ministry of the laity, he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Values in Higher Education. His major professional interest in his teaching and scholarship was the relationship of religion and the arts. Nelvin had a deep sense of his calling as a teacher and writer. He was elected a Fellow of the Society for the Arts, Religion and Contemporary Culture where he served as president and later as executive director. Nelvin was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Allentown, Pa., where he served on the Vestry and as a teacher as well as assisting in worship. He was also involved in the arts at St. John’s. Nelvin held many leadership positions in synodical and national organization boards of the Lutheran Church in America, on its Executive Council, chair of the Division for Ministry and chair of several studies on the Ministry of the Laity. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for several terms. Nelvin was also elected many times as a delegate to the National Assemblies of the Lutheran Church. He served on the Board of Trustees of the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network beginning in 1989, as chair from 1996-2000, and more recently as Trustee Emeritus. He was the founding convener of the Disability Friendly Community of the Lehigh Valley. He loved flowers, both growing and arranging them, perhaps motivated by his Dutch blood. Nelvin and his wife and family traveled extensively. He enjoyed the theater and escorted students and other groups to various theaters, here and abroad. Reading and jigsaw puzzles occupied his leisure time. Survivors include his wife, Beverly, and his three children. Christine Anne Namba, and husband, Tetsuya, Osaka, Japan; Alicia Joan Vos Moore and husband Glen, Fairfield Township, Ohio, and David Drew Vos and fiancée Tracy Ream, Kempton, and five grandchildren; his sister Joyce Christians, Edgerton, and brothers Ken and Grace of Rio Verde, Ariz., and Glenn and Nancy of West Des Moines, Iowa. A memorial service is planned for July 13, 2024, at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa.