He was delighted and made no bones about it when he was named pastor of St. Ann Parish in West Newbury. He would be back to the very familiar territory of "suburban" Newburyport and he would be the only priest assigned to the parish. He seemed in his element.

At the end of his term in West Newbury he was brought back to the thick of things at busy St. Raphael Parish, Medford. More property, more staff and more people -- but he again loved it. Just prior to Christmas 1990 the parish church had been destroyed by fire and Father Nason's principal effort was the building of the new church which Cardinal Bernard Law dedicated just three years following the fire on Dec. 19, 1993.

Five years later he was asked to take on another challenge being named the first pastor of the newly created parish of All Saints, Haverhill. The parish was created by the merger of four parishes St. George, St. Joseph, (French); St. Michael, (Polish); and St. Rita. Father Nason's calm manner and easy going personality led the parish through its formative years.

Praise flowed in from priests and current and past parishioners, from civic and ecumenical and inter-religious leaders following his death on Oct. 4 at Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill. He had wanted to remain in Haverhill for his last days and to have his funeral celebrated at All Saints Parish.

Father Arthur Coyle, Regional Vicar in the Merrimack Region welcomed Father Nason's body to the parish church on Oct. 8. Among those assisting was archdiocesan vicar general Father Richard Erikson. Retired Auxiliary Bishop Francis Irwin was the principal celebrant of Father Nason's funeral Mass on Oct. 9. In addition to retired Auxiliary Bishop John Boles, some 40 priests concelebrated the Mass including classmates and friends Msgr. George Carlson, Father Mark Mahoney, Father Robert Conole, Father John Mulloy, Father Gerald Osterman, Father Eugene Sullivan, Father Robert Murray, Father Kevin Toomey, and Father Thomas Powers who also served as homilist.

Following the funeral Mass, Father Nason was buried in St. Mary Cemetery, Newburyport. His immediate survivors are his sisters Anna Robinson and Madelyn Jacobs, both of Newburyport.