Jerrell DeWane Nightingale was born to Reuben and Tena Smith Nightingale on September 3, 1942, in Okeene, Oklahoma. He passed away October 19, 2020, at St. John Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas, following a lengthy illness. His sojourn was 78 years.
He grew up with his siblings on the family farm southeast of Fairview, Oklahoma. He received his education at Progressive School, a nearby country school.
He became a child of God thru faith in Christ Jesus, experiencing the new birth. He was baptized into the Church of God in Christ Mennonite on January 22, 1959, by Minister George Nichols. Jerrell always treasured Zion and her ways.
Jerrell joined hands in marriage with Alfreda Boehs on November 24, 1963, by Minister Elmer Boehs. They lived in the Fairview, Oklahoma, area for 3 ½ years. There they were blessed with their first born, Jerilyn. Then they moved to the High Plains, first to Sublette, Kansas, for 3 years and then to Ulysses, Kansas. Shawna was born in 1971 and Jason in 1972. Sorrow became a presence in their married life as both Jerilyn and Jason died in 1972. However; joy overcame sorrow as Ken joined the family in 1975, following the tragic accident of his parents and sisters. Justin was born in 1976. They brought additional happiness to the family, and Jared was born later in 1983.
Jerrell loved to sing, and was song leader for multiple terms. As a family, we remember his tender heart, his tears and confessions. We loved the fishing trips we made yearly to Colorado, and many other family vacations.
He loved rural life and faced life with it’s toil and adversities with courage. He had the face and hands of a man who spent his life in the field, exposed to the elements.
Jerrell’s relationship with God, expressed by his willingness to share, was a blessing to the Church’s outreach programs both here and abroad. Being houseparents at the NYC Unit and serving in Belize, gave them lasting memories. He taught many young men the value of hard labor and a job well done. Often he undergirded their beginning, from his liberal arm, with financial support. His life was a testimony of “Give, and it shall be given unto you good measure, pressed down, and shaken together and running over”.
Jerrell and Alfreda left Grant County, Kansas, in 2018 moving to Montezuma, Kansas, and Jerrell into Bethel Home in 2020.
Left to cherish memories are his wife, Alfreda: three sons and one daughter, Ken and Kristi, Bradley, Arkansas; Shawna and Marshall Smith, Ulysses, Kansas; Justin, Bradley, Arkansas; Jared and Tara, Arcadia, Florida; daughter-in-law, Carissa, Paxton, Nebraska; fifteen dear grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; one sister: Villa and Alvin Schmidt, Deridder, Louisiana; one sister-in-law, Jewel Nightingale, Montezuma, Kansas; one nephew and two nieces.
Surviving of his wife’s family are: Alan and Maragret Boehs, Fairview, Oklahoma; Donald Koehn, Montezuma, Kansas; Daryl and Sharon Ratzlaff, Moundridge, Kansas, and Max and Iris Boehs, Montezuma, Kansas.
His children, Jerilyn and Jason; his parents, one brother, Don; one sister, Darlene, and one nephew, Jay Nightingale preceded him in death.
Funeral service will be Thursday, October 22, 2020, at 10:30 AM at Grant Mennonite Church in rural Grant County with Minister Denton Koehn, Minister Stuart Jantzen and Minister Donnie Koehn officiating. Interment will follow at Grant Mennonite Cemetery. Friends may call Wednesday, October 21, 2020, from 12:00 PM until 4:00 PM at Garnand Funeral Home in Ulysses, Kansas. Memorial contributions may be given to Gospel Tract and Bible Society in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 405 W. Grant Ave, Ulysses, KS 67880. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.
