Noel Wayne Nigh

Noel Wayne Nigh, 84, of Caldwell, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 5, 2019 surrounded by his loving family.
Noel Wayne Nigh was born on May 28, 1934 in Cosmopolis, Washington to William Earl Nigh and Alice Josephine (Nelson) Nigh.  He spent his early years in Montesano, Washington.  Wayne had two brothers and two sisters:  Barbara Abercrombie, Earl Geissler, Darryl Geissler, and Cheryl Cox.
            Wayne surrendered his life to Jesus Christ as a young man, and after graduation from high school, he attended Bible college in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Portland, Oregon, where he met the love of his life, Esther Wagoner of Caldwell, Idaho who would become his bride for the next 62 plus years.
            After graduating from Conquerors Bible College in Portland on May 25, 1956, Wayne and Esther were married the very next day in Salem, Oregon by his uncle, Rev. Norman Dillon.  Into their marriage, Wayne and Esther welcomed four children: Walter Wayne, Noel Brent, Michael Lane, and Stephanie Kathleen.
            After their wedding and a brief honeymoon, Wayne and Esther traveled around the Pacific Northwest ministering in churches for about 6-8 months.  Early in 1957, Wayne became pastor of the church in Emmett, Idaho where he served until 1960.  In 1960, he moved his family including Walter, age 3, and Brent, 6 months, to Morton, Washington to pastor a small church in this sawmill town.  Wayne worked in the plywood mill there to support his family.  His son, Michael, was born in 1961 in Morton during his pastorate there.
            In 1963, Wayne was asked to take a position of dean of men and instructor at Conquerors Bible College in Portland, while Esther served as dean of women and cook.  The Nigh family remained with the college until the summer of 1969, when Wayne moved his family to, West Germany, as an appointed missionary with the United Pentecostal Church, to work with the American military.  They arrived in Germany on September 1, 1969, and daughter, Stephanie was born in Kaiserslautern, West Germany on March 10, 1970.
            During the next 18 years, Wayne helped establish numerous ministries around West Germany in U.S. Military chapters, as well as establishing German and American churches in Kaiserslautern and Wiesbaden.  He founded and ran a European Bible Training Center at Schloss Freudenberg located in Wiesbaden, training young men and women from many countries of Europe to be ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  During this time, Wayne ministered in most European countries, including the United Kingdom, as well as Northern Africa. 
            In 1986, Wayne and Esther returned to the United States and located in the Caldwell area.  He and his son, Walter, started a small printing company in Nampa.  In 1987, Wayne and Esther answered the call to pastor Calvary Pentecostal Church in Twin Falls, Idaho.  He remained pastor of this assembly for the next 10 years before moving back to the Caldwell area.
            He served as missions director for Valley Pentecostal Church in Caldwell and taught Bible classes.  Wayne started a missions-focused ministry called, “Logos Communications International,” and began raising funds for various missions projects around the world.  His first trip to SE Asia was June of 1999, which included Thailand and China.  He set up missions trips for pastors, teachers, church workers and other interested Christians to Germany, Serbia, the Philippines Uganda, Australia, China, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, and many other locations. Throughout his ministry, Wayne ministered in over 21 nations of the world.
            In 2007, Wayne began to raise funds for “Logos Conference Center,” a training facility in Chiangmai, Thailand.  The center was completed and dedicated in November of 2012.
            Wayne and Esther’s final trip to Thailand was in October 2017, when he helped the NamCham Church of Jesus Christ in Maesai, a border town with Burma, celebrate their 60th anniversary as an assembly of believers.  It was during this time that Wayne struggled with pain in his hip, as well as gastric problems.  Little did anyone realize he would be diagnosed last November with Stage 4 Gastric Cancer which had metastasized into his liver and bones. Wayne passed from this life on April 5, 2019 at his home in Caldwell with his family around him.
            Wayne is survived by his wife of 62 plus years, Esther, of Caldwell, Idaho; their four children: Walter (wife: Anna) of Chiangmai, Thailand; Brent (wife: Kelly) of Monet, Missouri; Michael (wife: Jennifer) of Torrance, California; and Stephanie (husband: Philip) of Star, Idaho.  He is also survived by his sister, Barbara (husband: Johnny) of Damascus, Oregon; his brother, Earl (wife: Dixie) of Boring, Oregon; his brother, Darry (wife: Donna) of Stockton, California; and his sister Cherry of Damascus, Oregon.  He also leaves behind 12 grandchildren; 6 great grandchildren, and a large host of relatives and friends.
Memorial services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 27th at Calvary Temple located at 200 S. 6th Avenue in Caldwell, with a luncheon to follow.

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