Nathaniel Cadenaro Obituary, Death – After a five-month fight with cancer, Nathaniel Belz, age 70, passed away on Thursday, March 30, 2023. His family, neighbors, and friends were all present during his final moments. In addition to serving as an elder at City Church of Asheville, he was a talented graphic designer and the originator as well as publisher of the children’s magazine Explore! Both Asheville Christian Academy.
The Chalmers Center at Covenant College had him serve on their boards of directors at one point. He loved his family and the people in his town, but he loved God the most. He was the sixth of eight children and worked in the printing press business that his family owned. He was born in the state of Iowa. He worked 12-hour shifts at the radio station KNWS when he was a teenager, and there was one time when he had to sing the national anthem live on the air because he couldn’t find the proper recording.
He took a correspondence course in illustration, and artist Norman Rockwell provided him with criticism on his work at various stages of the process. After that, he moved on to a career in illustration and design, contributing to a number of national periodicals and creating the initial brand identity for Prison Fellowship in the 1980s.
In his 20s, while he was living in Washington, D.C. and attending the McLean Presbyterian Church, which was then led by Steve Smallman, Sr. as pastor, his Christian religion emerged as an important part of his life. In 1984, he and his wife Mindy relocated to Asheville so that he could assist his brother Joel Belz with children’s publications and the Presbyterian Journal. Later, he served as the first designer for World, a national news magazine that was established by Joel.