Earl Dean Nance, Nov. 15, 1944 — Aug. 27, 2025

Earl Dean Nance, 80, of Ashland, Missouri, peacefully went to be with his Savior on August 27, 2025.

Earl Dean Nance

Earl was born November 15, 1944, in Richmond, California. He was the son of Daniel Wesley Nance and Lucille Eleanor Haas-Nance, he was the youngest child with one sister and 4 brothers. Earl loved his Savior and family more than anything. He was a loving husband, good father, grandfather and a good friend.

Earl served in the United States Navy from August 1963 to August 1967; he was then in the Reserves until 1969. He went onto working at General Dynamics after the reserves until 1970.

Earl was united in marriage to Vera Rebecca Gardner on May 17, 1969, at 31st Street Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Together they raised three children, James Daniel Nance, Angela Elizabeth Nance and Michael Dean Nance.

He was a man of many talents and interests. One of many being woodworking where he was highly skilled and mechanically gifted.

Earl accepted Christ as his Savior in 1974 and joined the Blue Ridge Baptist Temple, where he served on the bus ministry for several years. He then later felt called to do more and joined their staff as a bus director and children’s ministry until 1990.

Earl was then called to be Pastor of a church in Chillicothe, Missouri. He pastored several churches in northern Missouri before starting his own ministry called “Sparrow Ministry”. He preached the gospel to thousands of men, women and children in many missions throughout the Midwest, leading many to accept Jesus as their Savior. He was faithful to his calling and never wavered.

Earl was a High School Graduate who went on in his later years to further his education at Pillsbury-Scarborough Bible College in St. Louis, where he graduated with a Doctorate. He loved being a pastor, but his main calling was an evangelist.

Survivors include his wife, Rebecca; sons, James (Kelly) and Michael (Brooke); daughter, Angela Laughlin (John); grandchildren, Caleb Zimmermann (Kayla), Zach Reynolds (Shiela), Jaylin Zimmermann, Jaymee Tafulu (Cade), Emily Zimmermann, Colton Nance, and Michaela Nance; great grandchildren, Max Zimmermann, Lydia Zimmermann and Ellza Zimmermann; brothers-in-law, James Gardner (Jan) and Jeffrey Gardner (Jonell). He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Eldon, Paul, Milo and James and a sister, Nancy.

Services honoring Earl’s life will be held at 11:00 AM, Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at Robinson-Yager Funeral Home in Ashland with Rev. Ron Adrian officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Burial with military honors will be held at 2:00 PM, Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, Missouri.

Memorial contributions are suggested to the Sparrow Ministry or Kansas City Union Mission.

Robinson-Yager Funeral Home is honored to serve the Nance Family.

Condolences may be shared at www.robinsonyager.com.