I just received notice that we've lost a dear classmate and friend, Joel Nilsson. Joel was a Wilmette guy and I knew him from the 7th grade at Wilmette Junior High on through our NT days.  We were friends on facebook where he often shared pictures of his pottery.  His wife, Pamela sent me this:

Joel was born March 19, 1945 in Rome, NY and passed away from cancer on December 18, 2018 in Phoenix, where they lived for many years.  He was 73. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, and their three sons, Rob, Peter and Mark, and Joel's older brother, Jon Nilsson who also graduated from New Trier, is retired and living in Panama.

Joel was a loving, kind and very generous husband and father.  He is truly missed by his grateful family, devoted friends, and readers of his newspaper articles and hard-hitting editorials in the Arizona Republic.
Joel was a very gifted and dedicated journalist with the Arizona Republic for 31 years, using his craft to make Phoenix and Arizona better places because of his dogged seaerch for truth.  And on top of that, he was also a very gifted potter.  We are blessed being surrounded by his many lovely ceramic creations in our homes which we use and enjoy every day.
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Here are 2 articles I found, the first one by Joel himself about his life.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2018/12/21/joel-nilsson-died-cancer-family-what-matters/2388879002/

https://www.scottsdaleindependent.com/opinions/campana-a-scottsdale-hero-has-died/

Sue Giallombardo Walker
NT class of '63 website admin
If you would like to email Pamela personally let me know and I'll share her email.
 

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2018/12/20/longtime-arizona-republic-reporter-editorial-writer-joel-nilsson-dies/2373587002/