The record of his life includes his birth in 1934 in Leesport, Pa, the first child born to George and Emma (Lesher) Kershner, graduation in 1952 from the former Ontelaunee High School, in 1956 from Franklin and Marshall College (Lancaster, Pa.), and 1959 from Lancaster Theological Seminary.

 

     He was ordained into ministry in the United Church of Christ and first served the two churches of the Gibralter-Grill charge, south of Reading, Pa. This was followed by a call in 1964 to the United Church of Christ in Warminster, Pa.

 

     It was while serving at Warminster he received a call to oversee The Philadelphia Protestant Home for the Aged (PPH), an interdenominational organization then serving approximately 110 residents. The industry was changing with increasing government regulation – Nevin was one of the first to earn Pennsylvania’s Nursing Home Administrator license – and the growth of for-profit firms providing additional options to what was then the “old folks home.” For the next 25 years PPH evolved to add additional levels of nursing care and independent (apartment-style) living, growing to more than 500 residents while continuing the historical PPH promise that no resident would have to leave if they exhausted their funds.

 

     Serving PPH was his call and his pulpit, allowing him to remain active in the United Church of Christ’s Pennsylvania Southeast Conference and its Philadelphia Association, serving on and leading several committees over the years. He was also a familiar face in local churches, serving supply and interim positions and, more frequently, providing Sunday coverage where needed.

 

     Prior to retirement Nevin joined the Phoebe organization to transition their newly-acquired Slate Belt Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (Bangor, Pa.) into the non-profit organization.

 

     His professional career was further blessed by participation in several community organizations. As a young man he was active in Boy Scout Troop 154 sponsored by Salem (Belleman’s) Church (Dauberville, Pa.), earning the Eagle Scout rank and, later as an adult, serving as the troop’s Scoutmaster. In the 1970s he served as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 226 in Philadelphia, where his sons were members, each also earning the Eagle Scout rank, followed by five grandsons earning the Eagle rank. He received the Silver Beaver Award for his additional work with the Philadelphia Council and the council’s Frontier District.

 

     He was an active member of the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging (PANPHA) and its regional chapters, and at various times was a volunteer firefighter, treasurer, and bingo caller with the Washington Township Volunteer Fire Company, (Bangor, Pa.).

 

     Nevin is survived by his four children: Rev. Barbara Kershner Daniel (Kenneth), David (Rhonda), Timothy (Debbie), and Thomas (Denise), eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, his sister Jean Grim (Robert), numerous cousins and other relatives who will miss him and his old family stories and perhaps even his jokes at their summer reunions

 

     Visitation is scheduled for Thursday, March 17 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Robesonia, Pa., followed by a Memorial Service at noon, with the Rev. Dr. Benjamin D. Motz officiating. Light lunch will follow in the church’s Miller Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, Nevin asked to be remembered by gifts to Lancaster Theological Seminary, 555 West James Street, Lancaster, Pa. He also encourages you to remember your local church pastors, their families, and all those in the community serving our volunteer fire companies and all first responders.

 

 

Dates & Times:

    Visitation:  Thursday, March 17, 2022 from 11:00am-12:00noon

                         at St. Paul's UCC, Robesonia

    Memorial Service:  Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 12:00noon

                         at St. Paul's UCC, Robesonia

    Prayers of Remembrance:  Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 10:15am during the Worship Service

                         at St. Paul's UCC, Robesonia

 

Return to Obituary Listings