Stephen Douglas Nail, 63, of Centralia, IL passed away Tuesday, December 10, 2024, after an extended illness, with his family by his side at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
He was born on May 30, 1961, the son of James and Myrtle (Bryan) Nail in Nashville, IL. He married the love of his life, Teresa F. Stretch in 1984 at Longmont, CO and she survives him in Centralia.
Along with his devoted wife of 40 years, Teresa Nail, survivors include his beloved family, his children, Amber Nail of Centralia, and Derrick Nail of Centralia; siblings, Delbert “Glenn” Nail of New Minden, Donna “FaRuth” and Dennis Huckaba from Tennessee, Frances and Keith Walker of Armington, Linda and Mike Johnson of Centralia, Dennis and Lisa Nail of Centralia, and many nieces, nephews, extended family members and special friends.
Stephen was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Barbara Nail; and brother, Vance Nail.
Stephen served as the minister of the 161 Church of Christ of Centralia, where he faithfully shared the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ with his grateful church family. Every summer Stephen was ready to have some time to slow down and enjoy the great outdoors while camping at the Little Egypt Christian Youth Camp. While volunteering there, he was an intricate part of many young people coming to know Jesus and helping them on their journey through a life lived for Jesus. He was known as a “jack of all trades”, tackling remodeling projects with ease and enjoying every aspect of the building process. Stephen was an avid reader and could be found deep in the pages of a good science fiction or fantasy book. He especially loved J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings, but he was not a fan of the Hobbit movies, appreciating the story more from the pages over the screen. Stephen was a great cook who liked to experiment with different dishes in the kitchen. Sadly, he had a habit of not writing down his recipes, sometimes making it hard to recreate his delicious meals. Family was of the utmost importance to Stephen, and he truly loved each and every moment they had together. Stephen was a man of great faith, well respected and loved in his community, appreciated and loved by his family, friendly, and kind. As he will be deeply missed by all who loved him, his legacy of sharing the truth of God’s word and loving others will live on in all those he knew and loved.
The family is planning a memorial to Stephen Nail for this coming Thursday, December 19th, at the 161 Church of Christ. The building will be open from 2 pm to 4 pm for visiting with the family, and the memorial service will take place at 4 pm. A meal for friends and family is planned after the service is concluded.
Memorials may be made in Stephen’s honor to the family’s wishes and will be accepted at the Irvin Macz Funeral Home in Centralia. Online condolences and memories of Stephen may be shared with the family by visiting maczfuneralhomes.com and/or on the funeral home’s Facebook page.
