Autumn Nelon Streetman, the only surviving family member of The Nelons Southern Gospel group, is celebrating new life. On Dec. 1, which was also her late mother’s birthday, the singer gave birth to a son—her first child with husband Jamie Streetman. The baby, who arrived a week before his due date, is named Rhett James.
As ChurchLeaders reported, a July 26 plane crash in Wyoming claimed the lives of Streetman’s mom (Kelly Nelon Clark), stepdad (Jason Clark), sister (Amber Nelon Kistler), and brother-in-law (Nathan Kistler). Also killed were the pilot, his wife, and a band assistant.
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In a Dec. 2 Instagram post, Streetman, 27, shared a photo of baby Rhett, writing, “The hardest but most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Happy Birthday Mama, I think you would love this birthday gift.” By another image of the singer holding her newborn, the caption read, “The sweetest blessing God has ever given us.”
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Plane Crash Claimed Lives of Autumn Nelon Streetman’s Family
In late July, The Nelons planned to meet up in Seattle, before boarding and performing on the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska. Autumn and Jamie Streetman took a commercial flight from Nashville, while the rest of the family took a private plane from Georgia.
Streetman said she learned about the crash while standing in baggage claim at the Seattle airport. Although the cause is still under investigation, one possibility is that the plane’s autopilot system malfunctioned.
Streetman and her husband were covered in prayer and support, she said. “Gaither is a really big family, and I needed to be with those people at that moment,” the singer told Woman’s World in August. Despite her grief, Streetman was able to perform at her family’s memorial service.
Although Streetman said she knows God has a plan and a purpose, “it’s still very, very hard,” she admitted. “I have good days, and I have bad days. There are times when I think I should have told my mama I loved her one more time, but she knew. They all knew.”
Confidence that her family members are in heaven is her “only peace,” she added. “I know that what they are seeing now is nothing compared to what we have down here…Someday sooner than we think, we’re all going to be there.”
Singer Sees ‘Reminders’ of Her Loved Ones
During the Woman’s World interview, Streetman said her pregnancy, which went smoothly, was “keeping me happy right now and keeping me going.” The unborn baby gave her “something to look forward to” and kept her busy.
