Dr. Nancy Eiesland

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2009 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Atlanta, Ga., for Dr. Nancy L. Eiesland, 44, Atlanta, Ga., who died Tuesday, March 10 of cancer.

A service will be held on Sunday, March 22 at Cannon Chapel on the campus of Emory University, Altanta, for members of the Candler School of Theology and Emory community.

Nancy was born April 6, 1964 in Cando, the daughter of Dean and Carol (Hillestad) Arnold. She grew up on a farm northeast of Rugby and attended Wolford School. She graduated from Rugby High School and attended the University of North Dakota, Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo., and Southern Missouri University. She earned a Master of Divinity and a Ph.D from Emory University. She married Terry Eiesland on May 3, 1986. She was an Associate Professor of Sociology of Religion and Disability Studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Having a life-long disability, she was a strong advocate for persons with disabilities. She had published several books and papers.

She is survived by her husband; a daughter, Marie; her parents, of Springfield, Mo.; two brothers, Neal Arnold, Kiawah Island, S.C., and Victor Arnold, Montevallo, Ala.; and two sisters, Kathleen Arnold, Springfield, Mo., Jocelyn Gracza, Budapest, Hungary.

She was preceded in death by a sister, Susanne Chole.

Memorials are preferred to either St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1410