LaVerne and Gail Nelsen Endowed Scholarship Fund

The LaVerne and Gail Nelsen Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in 1998 by the estate of Eunice L. Schleicher, a parishioner of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church in Seattle, Wash., where the Rev. LaVerne Nelsen served as the pastor before his death in 1991. LaVerne was a 1948 graduate of Luther Theological Seminary who served several parishes in Washington. His wife Gail was a nurse, as well as an active volunteer and leader in the parishes that LaVerne served. Eunice established this fund to honor the memory of her pastor and to honor the friendship and ministry of her pastor’s wife. Gail died in 2005. This fund provides important support for financially deserving students who are preparing for full-time church-related vocations, which may include pastors, teachers, parish workers, Ministers of Music, Directors of Christian Education, and missionaries.