Bob Nass, former Sequoia Brigade Camp director and Christian Service Brigade regional director, who devoted his life to discipling boys into God-honoring men, has died. He was 84.
To me as a young 5-year-old in Kristy Nass’s kindergarten class, Bob was simply Mr. Nass, who sang crazy camp songs in chapel once a year.
But that changed as I started attending NorCal Boys’ Camp and hearing Bob share the gospel at the end of each campfire.
When I was in sixth grade, it was Sarah’s turn to have Mrs. Nass in kindergarten. During the beginning-of-the-year barbecue, Bob told me about Battalion at CSB, a ministry dedicated to teaching boys outdoor skills and discipling them into men who love Jesus.
With each trip, Bob demonstrated his rich knowledge of the world, whether that was spending the night on the USS Pampanito, a weekend trip to Dillon Beach or NorCal Camporal.
Knowing Bob meant learning little tidbits about anything and everything. For example, New Yorkers have unique accents that stand out to Californians, but he deliberately got rid of his. Or he wanted to serve on a submarine because they were the best-fed troops in the military. Or did you know that you technically crossed the Oregon border on the way from Dunsmuir to the Lava Beds National Monument?
And with every tidbit, he couldn’t help but share a dad joke.
But what wasn’t a joke was his faith. He emphasized reading the Bible daily and Scripture memory, knowing that Jesus was the source of his hope. My first year at Battalion, we served Mount Hermon in cleaning up the facilities. The first morning, he knocked on my door and encouraged me to start the day with reading the Bible.
Every night at camp, every week at Battalion, Bob shared a devotion. The message was convicting and blunt: you are trapped in your sin against God, but Jesus died on the cross to offer you the gift of salvation and eternal life.
Bob’s dark silhouette in front of the campfire would encourage boys to stay and speak with a counselor about the most important message. But right before, we sang “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” He sang it the loudest, and he meant that there was no turning back.
And on one of those nights 11 years ago, the Lord saved me.
As I started attending Battalion Unit 953, Bob met with me to go through the mentorship curriculum. He often gave me a ride every week — not just to our weekly meetings — but also to every 953 trip and our camp adventures as a camp junior counselor.
Perhaps the most valuable practical advice Bob gave me was at a bench at Fair Oaks Church. And it took me a long time to learn.
“Jeremiah, listen twice as much as you speak,” he said.
Perhaps it’s fitting that I’m now a journalist and must ask questions and listen. But for a long time, I never understood that until Dave Gregg, another mentor from Christian Service Brigade, gave me the same advice — multiple times.
But once I took that lesson to heart, my friendship with Bob became much sweeter. During one of our Dunsmuir trips, I became sick and stayed at the cabin with Bob during a group outing. I don’t remember what we talked about, but I remember enjoying that conversation.
After I graduated high school, I didn’t see Bob much, but we occasionally met for coffee when I was back from SoCal. The last time was March 10 at Starbucks in Todos Santos Plaza in Concord.
Life was changing for both of us. I was on my way to Missouri to start my first career job as a reporter. Mrs. Nass was about to retire, and they were going to move to Spokane, Washington.
Bob shared how he started working for Navigators. He told me how he got to know Mrs. Nass with handwritten letters in an era when long-distance phone calls were too expensive. Bob shared how he proposed at a freezing lake. And then they started a new life together in California as he worked for Christian Service Brigade.
As we said goodbye, I gave Bob a big hug, and that was the last time we spoke.
Having met him at age 5, I barely remember a time when I didn’t know Bob. Even as I am now far from home, I am who I am because of how God used Bob and Kristy Nass at Ygnacio Valley Christian School, at Sequoia Brigade Camp and at Christian Service Brigade.
And after decades of faithfulness, Bob’s faith has become sight. He trusted in God to keep him bright and keen for Christ, because he loved Him, because he wanted to serve Him, and now he sees Him face to face.
