James Arne Nestingen Obituary (1945 - 2022)

Born Nov 29, 1945, James Arne Nestingen attended Jamestown High School in Jamestown, ND. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about James Arne Nestingen.

Graduation Year	Class of 1963
Date of Birth	Nov 29, 1945
Date of Passing	Dec 31, 2022
About	Jim died suddenly on December 31, 2022 of a heart attack. He had celebrated Christmas with his family, Carolyn, his wife, and three sons, Andrew, Jacob Ole and Peder, their wives and children. Spending Christmas with his grandchildren brought him great joy.
Events	James Arne Nestingen of Roseville, MN, and Dallas, OR, died of a heart attack on Dec. 31, 2022, at age 77. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carolyn Storaasli Nestingen, sons Andrew (Karen Baker), Peder (Sarah Horstmann), Jacob Ole (Sonja Nestingen), and eight grandchildren, as well as cherished extended family. He was born in Williston, ND, to Joyce Nestingen and Ruth Vinge Nestingen, who preceded him in death. He is survived by brother Rolf Nestingen (Sandy) and sisters Mary Nestingen and Janann Sims. Jim was an alumnus of Concordia College, Moorhead (B.A), Luther Seminary (M.Div.), and the University Toronto (Th.D.). He was professor of church history at Luther Seminary (St. Paul), 1976-8, 1980-2007. Jim was a Norwegian-American child of the prairie, born of a storytelling tradition in which he participated with joy, skill, and a fair dose of humor. The central story of his life was his belief in Christ's promise that through the grace of God we, though by nature sinful, confess, are forgiven and welcomed into new and eternal life. The story of the Gospel inspired a life of study, teaching, scholarship, and service. He took great joy in sharing it with all he met and will be remembered for the warmth, humor, and approachability of his teaching. Jim was also the author of hundreds of popular and scholarly articles, as well as the books The Lutheran Confessions: History and Theology of The Book of Concord (with Robert Kolb and Charles P. Arand, 2012), Martin Luther: A Life (2009), Martin Luther: His Life and His Teachings (2004), Sources and Contexts of the Book of Concord (with Robert Kolb, 2001), Manger in the Mountains (2000), The Faith We Hold (1983), Roots of Our Faith (1978), and Free to Be (with Gerhard Forde, 1975). His life and work was much enriched by his wife, Carolyn Nestingen. They were happily married for 54 years. Since 2006, Jim had taken particular joy in their eight grandchildren, Ella, Willa, Ansel, Alida, Harriet, Thore, Caia, and Lilja. He and Carolyn loved spending time together with them. Throughout his life, Jim was an avid collector of music with a soft-spot for Bach, Coltrane, Ellington, Mingus, and Sun-Ra. He was also a reader, tool collector and periodic woodworker, fisher and hunter. Always, he was a hockey and baseball fan passions dating to the North Dakota pond hockey and radio broadcasts of his childhood. He was an adventurous spirit and a mischievous storyteller, who may have been inclined to indulge in hyperbole. He was not always patient and was at times bullish. Jim was consistently and deeply a loving family man. A public visitation will be held on Thursday, January 6, 4-8 pm, at Holcomb-Henry-Boom-Purcell Funeral Home, 536 Snelling, St Paul, MN 55104. A further visitation will be held Friday, January 7 at 10am at St. James Lutheran Church, 460 West Annapolis Street, West St Paul, MN 55118. A service of remembrance will be held at 11am, followed by lunch in the church hall. A Memorial Service will also be held at his summer church in Dallas, OR. Memorials are referred to Lutheran World Relief. Published on January 4, 2023