Nathaniel was born in Beatrice, Nebraska, on 15 November 1978. He passed away unexpectedly at home at the age of 33 on 16 July 2012 in Tacoma, Washington. He spent most of his formative years in the East Tennessee area, where he attended Webb School of Knoxville and Emory Heights High School of Kingston. A love for caring for others led him into emergency services work with initial training at Roane State Community College and a lifelong series of additional training courses in the field of Emergency Medicine. At the time of his death, Nathaniel had returned to school to seek a RN degree.

He worked as an EMT-Paramedic throughout most of his career. He served in Grainger and Morgan Counties of Tennessee before moving to Florida to work for Lake-Sumter Emergency Medical Services in Mount Dora. He worked briefly as a University of Tennessee Medical Campus Police Officer and, also, volunteered as an Auxiliary Deputy for the Sherriff's Department in Anderson County, Tennessee. Other jobs included as a Customer Service Senior Representative for CVS/Caremark in Knoxville and as a Claims Associate with PHP/Cariten Healthcare of Knoxville. He also provided occasional IT support services for the Refractive Surgery Center of Oak Ridge.

Nathaniel loved the outdoors and had particularly enjoyed the mountains and waters of the Pacific Northwest. He enjoyed traveling, making pictures for Facebook, and staying in touch with his many friends throughout the country. He had an artist's eye for photography and posted many beautiful photos on his Facebook page. Nathaniel enjoyed animals of all kinds and had several dogs as pets over the years. He enjoyed music of all varieties and played the piano well. He loved target shooting and plinking and spent many hours in that pursuit with his father. He had a thirst for knowledge and was well-read on historical and contemporary socio-political affairs. Nathaniel was a Christian and was raised in the Presbyterian denomination. His last words were appeals to his Lord and words of love for family and friends.

Nathaniel is survived by numerous family members and friends throughout the country. As his father, I have written and posted several earlier versions of this memorial to him with some of them listed before finally deciding that a nontraditional obituary was most appropriate and most suited to fulfilling his expressed last wishes. Consequently, I will leave all un-named rather than slight or omit someone. I ask that those who knew him simply leave their own favorite memories of this valued son, cousin, nephew, or friend on this site.

My son endured incredible trials and traumatic events during his all-too-short life, but he was a brave and courageous individual who overcame his many challenges to heal old wounds and build a new life here in the Pacific Northwest. Throughout his life, Nathaniel was deeply committed to caring for his fellow human and was constantly reaching out to lift up any around him whom he could help. He was a bright and gifted man with a kind and gentle spirit and a refined sense of humor. He is sorely missed.

In accordance with his wishes, he will be cremated and his ashes will be distributed on open waters in the Pacific Northwest. In his final communication, he had these words to say: "I want you all to move on. Live. Love. Let grief dissipate. …God, you are my only safety. …I love you Lord!"

Submitted by Robert S. Dotson, M.D., father of Nathaniel S. Dotson