Baker City, Baker County, Oregon
Capt. Harlan Nelson, 86, who served with The Salvation Army in Baker City from 1974 to 1978, died Feb. 8, 2006, at the Glisan Care Center in Portland.
There was a service of celebration at the Portland Tabernacle Corps. Maj. Dale Hill officiated.
Harlan was born on Oct. 9, 1919, in Glenrock, Wyo. After graduating from high school, he married Sybil Putnam.
For several years, Harlan co-owned two restaurants in Spokane and then moved to Portland where he opened an appliance repair shop. Later he and Sybil moved to Beaverton where he owned and operated a household appliance service for more than 20 years.
Later on, Harlan felt that God called him to the ministry. In preparation, he attended several theological seminaries and earned a master’s degree in religious education, a doctorate in theology and a degree in Christian counseling.
The Nelsons were introduced to The Salvation Army through Harlan’s work as a counselor at the Harbor Light Center in Portland. After becoming captains in 1974, the Nelsons served as corps officers in Baker City.
In 1978, Harlan was appointed as the correctional service officer at Cascade divisional headquarters. The Nelsons retired from active service in 1984. They made their retirement home in the Portland area.
In retirement, Harlan continued to be active in the prison ministry. He supervised and trained clergy and lay chaplains in county correctional facilities. He taught jail ministry and established a resource center as a bridge between incarceration and free society for exiting offenders. In 1989, Harlan received the Frontiersman award (now the Trailblazer award) for his outstanding work with prison inmates.
Survivors include four children, 16 grandchildren an d 11 great-grandchildren.
His wife, Glory, died in 1996.
Used with permission from e: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, March 24,2006
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor