Nathan Kistler

With heavy yet thankful hearts, we remember the life and legacy of Nathan David Kistler.

He was born to Dave and Betsy Kistler in Hickory, North Carolina on January 9, 1990. Nathan passed to his heavenly reward with his wife, Amber, on July 26, 2024, joining their three babies already in heaven.

He is survived by his parents, Dave and Betsy Kistler, his two sisters, Rachael Kistler-Igo and Hannah Danielle Kistler, his brother-in-law, Toby Igo, his nephews, Jackson Igo, Carter Igo, Charlie Igo, and a host of beloved extended family and friends.

From childhood, Nathan proved to be uniquely gifted, mastering multiple instruments and musical disciplines with ease; but it is his larger-than-life personality and love for people that will be his lasting legacy.

To know Nathan was to love him. Roadtrip jam sessions, impromptu comedy routines, and his gift for making everyone he met feel like the most important person in the room are just some of the many ways his memory will be cherished by the countless lives he touched. He was gracious, kind, and there wasn’t a door his bright smile and infectious laugh couldn’t open.

While Nathan possessed many God-given talents, it was his voice that took him all over the world to share the stage with some of today’s greatest Contemporary Christian and Southern Gospel artists, including: Avalon, Michael English, Mark Lowry, Adam Crabb, The Hoppers, The Nelons, and his Dove Award-winning wife, Amber Nelon Thompson.

Above any success Nathan realized in other areas of his life, he was a doting son, fiercely protective brother, and deeply devoted husband above all else.

He met his wife, Amber Nelon Thompson, at the age of 14 while visiting her church on his family’s ministry travels. It was love at first sight, and after reconnecting years later, their whirlwind romance culminated in marriage on April 23, 2019. They were married for just over five years, and together, ministered to thousands through their music and work on Capitol Hill.

Following in his father’s footsteps as Executive Director of HOPE to the Hill, a non-partisan ministry to appointed and elected officials in Washington D.C., Nathan served members of Congress and their staffs through office visits, bible studies, and encouraging members in their respective walks of faith. Impeccable integrity and a passionate heart for service defined Nathan’s work with members of Congress, regardless of party affiliation.

The loss we feel is unbearable, but knowing that we'll see Nathan and Amber again someday gives us hope for the future.

The memorial service to honor the lives and legacies of Nathan and Amber will be held at 2pm on Saturday, August 10 at Mount Home Baptist Church in Morganton, North Carolina. The family will receive friends from 12:00-1:45pm at Mount Home Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ministry Nathan led on Capitol Hill:

HOPE to the Hill
P.O. Box 447
Connelly Springs, NC 28612

Please sign the online guestbook on the Memorial Wall at www.jenkinsfuneralhome.net. The Kistler family has entrusted arrangements to Jenkins Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Newton 828-464-1555.