Joyce Elizabeth Nelson

On August 16, 2025, Pastor Joyce Elizabeth Nelson left her life in Summerville, South Carolina, to be welcomed into the arms of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Joyce died peacefully in the presence of Daryl, her loving husband for almost 55 years. In the year preceding her death, Joyce fought a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.

Pastor Joyce is survived by her son, Brent Nelson, and his wife, Diana, and their children, Evie, Aidan, and Killian; and by her daughter, Carrie Brown, and her husband, Carl, and their children, Selah and Ella. Joyce is also survived by two sisters, Cheryl Ellzey and Renee VanCooney. She was preceded in death by her parents Glenn and Lila Ellzey.

From 1990 to 2018 Joyce was the pastor of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church of Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania. During those years Joyce helped to shape the congregation’s identity as the church “where the name of Jesus is spoken.” She elevated Christian music as an expression of both joy and testimony believing as Martin Luther did that “music was the living voice of the gospel, a gift from God to be used in all its fullness in Christian praise and prayer.” In addition to the usual tasks of pastoral ministry Joyce was a promoter of diverse worship experiences and was an enthusiastic teacher of the Bible. Together with many committed lay learners Joyce explored the scriptures from Genesis through Revelation. As a supplement to her Bible teaching Joyce led tours to Israel to further understand the land of the Bible which is sometimes described as “The Fifth Gospel.” After her retirement and in late 2022 Joyce and Daryl left Pennsylvania for Summerville, South Carolina to be close to their daughter Carrie and her family.

Through much of her adult life Joyce was an ardent gardener, an avid reader of mysteries and a traveler with Daryl both in and out of the United States. When grandchildren arrived Joyce eagerly followed their lives and engaged with them and their interests.

Joyce was a graduate of Kellogg High School of St. Paul, Minnesota; Macalester College of St. Paul, Minnesota; and the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to her seminary training, Joyce worked for several years as the copy editor for The Lutheran, the denominational magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

A celebration of life will be held at the Summerville Church of the Nazarene at 11:00 am on Friday, August 22. Interment will be private. Joyce will be deeply missed by her family and friends, her former parishioners, and by her loving neighbors in Summerville. Memorials may be sent to Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church of Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, or the Summerville Church of the Nazarene in South Carolina.

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