Nathan Michael Gleaves, a devoted husband, father, son, and follower of Christ, a beloved friend, coworker, and professional, went home to be with the Lord on August 23, 2025.

Nathan lived a life marked by integrity, conviction, and love for his family.  He was a content man, desiring to steward what God blessed him with and to live a life pleasing to the Lord.  Nathan's parents worked for Ethnos 360, a mission organization reaching unpopulated areas. Because of this, Nathan had a fascinating childhood.  He was born in Bogota, Colombia, on March 13, 1977.  From age four to eight, Nathan lived deep in the Amazon rainforest. He passed his time setting a water trap he built to see what wildlife he could catch. Some of the treasures caught were a baby anaconda, a baby electric eel, and a myriad of tropical fish, whatever his little trap would bring in.  He played with his pet monkeys, a small indigenous wildcat, a capybara, a macaw, a tortoise, and paddled around in his little green canoe.   He always had a soft heart and would play with his little pets until he was done, and then release them back to the wild.  He hunted alligators with his dad, played with the native children; he truly had a childhood we could never imagine.  At the age of eight, he left the lake to go to boarding school, where he developed deep friendships with his roommates, continued to make memories and have epic adventures tubing the rapids, building mud slides, climbing trees, snorkeling the river, spear fishing with his dad, and camping at the river.

At age sixteen, Nathan came home to Turlock, California, where he finished his high school education at Turlock Christian High School, graduating with the class of 1995.  Nathan went on to complete his general education classes at Modesto Junior College and then transferred to Fresno State.  During his time at Fresno State, he served as the Senator of Engineering and Computer Science.  For him, a huge bonus was the staff parking pass as well as admission to student tailgates and Fresno State Football games, where he loudly cheered from the student section and always went down to the field post-game.  This guy loved football.  His heart belonged to the San Francisco 49ers, and he has instilled that passion in his children.   During his time as a student, he participated in two concrete canoe building competitions, a steel bridge competition, and a timber bridge competition.  Again, back to football, he was most proud of being on the intramural flag football champion team.

In 2000 Nathan graduated from Fresno State's Lyles College of Engineering and began his engineering career with the California Department of Forestry.  In 2002, he moved to the private sector and joined Precision Civil Engineering.  PCE immediately became an integral part of his life; he developed long-lasting friendships with many of his coworkers and was deeply loved by the company.   He was a part of the PCE family for over twenty years, working as Vice President and Senior Civil Engineer.  Two of the projects he was most proud of were the Fresno Veterans Home and Riverstone Master Planned Community in Madera, California. Nathan brought lightheartedness, laughter, and problem-solving abilities to the workplace.

Nathan's greatest joy was his family.  He shared a marriage marked by love, honor, and respect.  He and his wife truly knew the meaning of the words "in sickness and in health"; despite sickness, their love remained unwavering.  Nathan absolutely adored his two children, Hunter, 17 years old, and Gwen,15 years old.  He was a rock for them, a safe place.  He was fun and loving.  He danced and sang with them, built them forts and skateboards, coached their soccer teams, watched their sporting events, introduced them to timeless movie series like Rocky, Lord of the Rings, everything Star Wars and Marvel.  He cherished them and always aimed to point them to the Lord.

It can honestly be said that Nathan led by example.  He never desired worldly wealth or admiration, maybe just a few classic cars and trips to Cozumel : )  Nathan served the Lord building relationships with high school students for over 15 years, living life alongside them and encouraging them.  He maintained heartfelt relationships with some of those kids throughout his adult years.  It was a time of great blessing to him.  Growing up on the mission field, he always had a passion for missions.  During his two trips to Haiti he worked construction projects, built a playground, and played soccer with the kids at the orphanage, they were some of his best times.  Nathan's passion was to build, create, and bring restoration to things of the past.  Most of his spare time was spent on projects around the house, remodeling, building, and designing.  As he got older, he developed a love for classic cars, bringing a 1968 Pontiac Firebird, a 1971 Chevy Camaro, and a 1975 Jeep Wagoneer into the family.  These vehicles now have their home in the 1600sq ft garage he built for them, something he did while undergoing cancer treatment.  A testament to his fight to live life despite difficult circumstances, and a legacy he will leave to be remembered by.

There are no words to express the hole that Nathan leaves behind as a husband, father, son, brother, uncle, friend, and coworker.  We miss him, we love him, and we grow closer to the day we will see him again.  Nathan faced enormous pain and suffering these past ten years; he grieved many losses along the way, yet he remained strong and true to his family and his faith in the Lord.  He touched the lives of many and will be deeply missed.

Nathan is survived by his beloved wife, Regina Gleaves;  adored son, Hunter Gleaves; cherished daughter, Gwen Gleaves; mother, Nadine Gleaves; brother, James Gleaves and sister-in-law Diane; sister, Catherine Gleaves; sister, Melinda Gauerke and brother-in-law Jeff; father-in-law Jay Lewis and mother-in-law Geri; sister-in-law Sarah Brosius and brother-in-law Ryan; sister-in-law Nichole Musso and brother-in-law Joe; and 13 nieces and nephews.  He is preceded in death by his father, Gerold Gleaves.