Rev. Nigel A. Everett, 81, who died Monday in Warren, will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the Applegate Chapel of the United Methodist Memorial Home at Warren.
Licensed as the first woman minister in the North Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, she began her first assignment at the Etna Green and Summit Chapel churches in 1964. Her interest in the ministry began as she served as secretary of the Willow Creek Methodist Church in Mishawaka and in 1956 she began her studies for the ministry.
She served as associate minister at Simpson United Methodist Church in 1968-69, pastor of Wolf Lake and Kimmell United Methodist Churches in 1969-71, and pastor of Ossian and Prospect churches in 1971-77.
From 1977 to 1981, Rev. Everett pastored the Butler and Zion United Methodist Churches and then moved to Monon UM, where she served until her retirement in 1988. Retirement, however, meant becoming chaplain of the UM Memorial Home at Warren, from which she again retired in 1998 to become interim pastor of the Warren and Plum Tree United Churches of Christ.
In September of 1999 she moved into the Warren United Methodist Home, where she died of kidney cancer.
Rev. Everett was born in Chicago Jan. 23, 1918 to Elbert and Alice Hart Boyden. Rev. Everett's husband of 41 years, Wayne E., died while she was in the pastorate at the Ossian/Prospect churches.
Surviving are a son, Nathan of Bellevue, Wash; five daughters, Mrs. DeOrsay (Lael) Russell of Columbus, Ohio, Rev. Mrs. R. Kenneth (Judy) Stevenson of Big Bear, W.Va., Mrs. James (Sharon) Springer of New Deal, Texas, Kim Hart of Hollywood, Fla., and Kimberlee Everett of Montpelier; a brother, Nathan Lambert of Williams, Ariz.; 15 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.