Richard Edward Nystrom

Richard Edward Nystrom passed away peacefully on February 12, 2023, in Peabody, MA. He was 91 years old, born on March 3, 1931.

Richard is survived by his loving wife, Peggy, of 70 years and his children, Jennifer Souza, Howard (Jennie) Nystrom, Nancy (Todd) Stansbery and Martin (Jen) Ryan-Nystrom. Forever cherished by his eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren; as well as by his siblings and their families, Perry & Betty Nystrom, Judy Monarca and Bill & Suzanne Nystrom; and many other family members and friends.

Richard was predeceased by his father, Charles; his mother, Mae; his brother, Charlie; his in-laws, Howard & Beatrice Myers; his sisters-in-law, Beverly Nystrom and Evelyn McCormick; his brother-in-law, Joe Monarca; and his granddaughter, Erin Nystrom.

He was born in Seymour, CT, the oldest of five children and the first in his family to go to college. He graduated high school in 1948 and was accepted at Northwestern University. In his own words, “I was ready to tackle the world and whatever came my way…It was time to leave the family and find my own way.” And he did.

After two years at Northwestern, he transferred to Maryville College in Tennessee where he met Peggy Myers. After graduating they married on January 2, 1953, in Peggy’s hometown of Beaver Falls, PA. From there, Richard earned his Master of Divinity at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He went on to do doctoral studies at Vanderbilt, earned his Master’s in Theatre from NYU and received his Doctoral of Ministry degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation in South Bend Indiana in the area of poetry and theology. He wrote, “The greatest gift to me from ministry is the person I became in the process. I chose the ministry because I was searching for a faith, a way to understand my place in the world and a way to serve God.”

Richard’s career in the ministry included ten churches in five states: Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. Twenty-seven of those years were spent as an associate pastor in large churches in the area of Christian education and pastoral care, including Central Presbyterian in Summit, NJ and First Presbyterian in Maitland, FL. In addition, he served as an interim pastor in several churches past his retirement, including in Florida, West Virginia and North Carolina. He did not fully retire until 2005 and called that experience one of the most satisfying of his career. In addition to his work as a pastor, he taught speech and theater for 17 years at Seminole Community College in Florida. In retirement, he was a substitute teacher at the local high school and taught courses at the NC State Encore program.

Richard was a man of many passions and interests. His curiosity was endless as was his desire to share himself through the written and spoken word as a minister, teacher, poet, lyricist, and actor. There was always a book and pen nearby, his constant companions. He will be remembered for co-creating a youth musical, New Directions (1968) and The Life of Jesus Festival (1974), and for creating two books of prayer, A Book  of Uncommon Prayer (1990) and To Comfort You. He loved movies, travel, opera, ballet and watching a favorite team with his family. He embraced the mysteries of life and was awed at the beauty of nature and human creation. Yet, he was most comforted by the simple pleasures of a good cup of coffee, a hug, dinner with his family around the table, making breakfast, seeing a bird outside the window or a beautiful flower.

He was a committed and loving husband, father, grandfather, friend and community member. He created and expressed, and he opened hearts and minds. He will be deeply missed and always remembered.

SERVICES: A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 1:30pm at Brooksby Village Chapel, 300 Brooksby Village Drive, Peabody, MA 01960. It will be followed by a reception where family and friends can share remembrances of Richard.

Those who wish to make a memorial contribution in lieu of flowers, may do so to the Presbyterian Church USA, online at https://www.pcusa.org/new-give/.