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Scott Calahan, Age 57

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Scott Allen Calahan, the son of Don and Rosa (Deterding) Callahan, was born on May 3, 1958 in Deshler, Nebraska, and raised in Carleton. He passed away on January 31, 2016 in Chandler, Arizona at the age of 57 years from complications related to Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Shortly before his death, he chose to stop medical treatment and enter hospice care, where he died peacefully surrounded by his family.

Scott attended Carleton Elementary School, and then went on to graduate from Bruning High School as the Valedictorian of the Class of 1976. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on scholarship, and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Philosophy, and Bible from Grace College of the Bible, now Grace University, in Omaha.

Scott married Nancy Kathleen Pickerell, his high school sweetheart, on July 29, 1978, at First Congregational Church in Geneva. Scott and Nancy were the proud parents of four children: Joel, born in 1982; Nathaniel, born in 1985; Amy, born in 1988; and Melissa, born in 1990. Scott and family moved to Chandler, Arizona, an eastern suburb of Phoenix in 1996, where they have lived since.

Scott was baptized at St. Peters Lutheran Church in Deshler, and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in Carleton. Through his training as a pastor at Grace College of the Bible, Scott prepared for a life in the ministry. He was a Bible study leader and Sunday school teacher nearly all of his adult life. He served as a substitute and interim pastor for various churches in the Phoenix area, and was a deacon and Sunday school teacher at Faith Community Church in Chandler, Arizona, for many years.

Scott worked professionally in lighting and electrical sales and purchasing. He was a branch manager at Voss Lighting in Minneapolis, Minnesota and then Phoenix for nearly 11 years. He was a purchasing and project manager at Golka Electric, in Mesa, Arizona, for eight years. He continued his line of work at Philips, for 3 years, until he could no longer work.

Scott was diagnosed with Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome in 2013. The disease causes non-cancerous tumors to grow along the central nervous system, especially in the spine and brain stem. In order to relieve pain and to remove tumors affecting his motor skills, Scott had 13 brain and spinal surgeries, most of them at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

Scott was preceded in death by his sister Lisa.

He is survived by his parents; Don and Rosa Calahan of Carleton; a sister, Vicki (Robert) Williams of Carleton and a brother, Bruce (Jean) of Lincoln; his wife, Nancy of Chandler, Arizona; children: Joel (Lisa) Calahan, Nathaniel (Theresa) Calahan, Amy (Jacob) Rust and Melissa (Edgar) Calahan-Gonzales; three grandchildren: Ezra, age 8, August, age 4, and Ryan, and 3 months; other relatives and a host of friends.

Memorial Services at: Zion Lutheran Church, Carleton, Nebraska

Time of Service: Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 2:00 pm

Clergy: Pastor Jonathan Jensen and Pastor Kim Dunker

Burial: Carleton City Cemetery, Carleton, Nebraska

Memorials to: In lieu of flowers monetary donations can be made of Scott's behalf to Hospice of the Valley (Dobson House) or the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona

Visitation: From 11:00 am until service time at the Church

Funeral Home: Megrue-Price Funeral Home, 750 N Commercial, Superior, Nebraska 68978 Phone 402-879-3900

 

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