Nickel, Arnold (1920-1971)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1971 Nov 4 p. 3

Birth date: 1920

text of obituary:

Headed Educational Work

Conference Leader Dies

Newton, Kan. — Arnold Nickel, 51, former Personnel Secretary of the General Conference Mennonite Church and since Sept. 1 executive secretary of the Commission on Education, died unexpectedly at his home in Moundridge early Sunday morning.

Rev. Nickel had not been ill. and made several trips to Wichita Airport on Saturday evening to meet members of the commission coming here for a retreat. He apparently died in his sleep some time after midnight.

Funeral services were conducted Wednesday afternoon at the Eden Mennonite Church near Moundridge, where he formerly served as pastor. Rev. Marvin Zehr, pastor of the West Zion Church of Moundridge, was in charge. Burial was made in the West Zion Cemetery.

A native of Mt. Lake, Minn., Rev. Nickel graduated from the Bible School there, attended Northwestern Bible School in Minneapolis, and was a graduate of Bethel College and Mennonite Biblical Seminary. In recent years he engaged in graduate studies at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, which granted him the Master of Sacred Theology and Doctor of Sacred Theology degrees. He had received the doctor's degree during the past summer.

His pastorates included the Zion Mennonite Church at Donnellson, Iowa, 1947-48; the Bethesda Church at Henderson, Neb., 1948 to 1956; the Bethany Church at Freeman, S. D., 1956-57, during which he also taught at Freeman Junior college; and the Eden Church, 1957 to 1966. He became Personnel Secretary of the General Conference in 1966, and continued in that capacity until beginning his new duties this fall.

Rev. Nickel married Bertha Ewert of Hillsboro in 1947. She survives with their four children, Leo, Elton, Donovan, and Harriet, all of the home; his father, Abraham T. Nickel, and brothers Marvin and Leander, all of Mt. Lake; and one sister, Mrs. Calvin Flickinger of Phoenix, Ariz.

The Mennonite obituary: 1971 Nov 16 p. 690