John Gary Nordstrom Sr.

John G. Nordstrom, Sr. was born on September 13, 1940, in Princeton, Illinois, and on September 1, 2025, at his home in Ottawa, IL, he crossed the finish line of a very well-run race.

John is survived by his beloved wife Phyllis; his children John Jr. (Glenda), Paul (Susan), Philip (Melanie), and Pamela Cronkright (DeWayne); 12 grandchildren Melissa Terry (Andrew), Andrea Schmidt (Joshua), Gentry (Lindsey), Kristen Propp (Daniel), Nelson (Lacye), Hudson, Natalie (Ben), Kristiana Bowlin (Jacob), Noah, Madison Cronkright, Carleigh Williams (Leonidas), and Kaedon Cronkright (Shelbi); 17 great-grandchildren, and 4 more on the way; his brothers Billie Nordstrom, and Winn Nordstrom (Debbie); and his sister Kathy Pennington (Jim). He was preceded in death by his parents, Forrest and Nessie Nordstrom, and his brothers Donald and Kenneth.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate the life of John Gary Nordstrom, Sr. at Christ Community Church, 807 LaSalle Street, Ottawa, IL. Visitation will be Tuesday, September 16, from 4:00-7:00 PM, and Wednesday, September 17, at 10:00 AM. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park.

Memorial contributions may be made to Christ Community Church of Ottawa,IL, Life Church of Knoxville, TN, or Friendship House in Ottawa, IL.

John lived exactly 30,947 days-and those who knew him best will tell you he didn't waste one of them. Faith was John's compass from the start. As a boy in Sunday school, he made a decision to follow Jesus, and everything from that day forward grew out of it. Holiness was his inner anchor, but he led with love.

At fifteen, John met a girl named Phyllis Bird at a Bible quiz meeting. He was instantly sure she was the one, though she took nearly two years to be persuaded, and his persistence paid off. They married on June 27, 1959. For the next 66 years they were inseparable-partners in life, love, and calling. If poets say two people are made for each other, John and Phyllis told a different story: they made each other. He was the vision; she walked it out.

John's sharp mind carried him through his education to becoming an educator at public schools and at Apostolic Bible Institute. He and Phyllis had welcomed three sons-John, Paul, and Philip, and their daughter Pamela. But the family's future was threatened when John's kidneys failed and his employment/insurance evaporated without a safety net. At the age most men are laying foundations, John faced a death sentence and had four children to care for.

At a time when many would have left the faith, John clung to his. When no church would hire a dying man, he planted one himself, starting with his family as the congregation. That seed became what is now Christ Community Church of Ottawa, Illinois. As John's strength faded, it often became necessary to preach sitting down.

John's faith wasn't loud or flashy. He lived with a conviction like the three young men in Babylon who said, "God can deliver us-but even if he doesn't, we won't bow." John never assumed rescue. That quiet determination became its own sermon.

Doctors once told him to go home and make memories with his children. He did-and those memories became legends, retold at family tables and in sermons. Against the odds, John lived through two kidney transplants, cancer, and heart failure, all while continuing to live out the Gospel.

He went on to pastor in Southern Illinois and South Bend, Indiana, before returning to Ottawa in 2013. There, he and Phyllis rejoined Christ Community Church. For John, joy was never anchored in the pulpits he filled, but in the people he loved.

In his final hours, his family surrounded him, whispering encouragement. We can only imagine the sound that erupted in heaven's grandstands when John Nordstrom crossed the finish line and entered the place he had spent his life pointing others toward.

He lived faithfully. He walked with integrity. He loved deeply. And now, he rests in Jesus.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." -2 Timothy 4:7