Obituaries - September 2025
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Appel, the Rev. Jean-Pierre, 70, Amery, Wis.; July 17, 2025. Call: Bethany, Almena, Wis.
Bailey, the Rev. Larry, 82, New York; Feb. 13, 2025. Calls: St. Paul, Brooklyn; Trinity, Manhattan; instructor, Our Saviour Lutheran School, Bronx; principal, Epiphany Lutheran School, Brooklyn; teacher, Our Saviour Lutheran High School, Bronx, all N.Y.
Bancroft, the Rev. Kenneth M., 88, Shingle Springs, Calif.; Aug. 16, 2025. Calls: Shepherd of the Valley, Moraga; Bethany and Our Savior, Santa Clara; chaplain, Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of Northern California, San Mateo, all Calif.
Clark, the Rev. John H., 88, Mooresville, N.C.; March 27, 2025. Calls: Zion, Deerfield Beach; Hope, Dunnellon, both Fla.; chaplain, St. John Northwestern Military Academy, Delafield, Wis.
Dale, the Rev. Kenneth J., 99, Claremont, Calif.; Sept. 9, 2025. Call: missionary serving in Japan.
Freedlund, the Rev. Carl O., 96, Glenview, Ill.; Aug. 1, 2025. Calls: First, Decatur, Ill.; Army chaplain; Reformation, Chicago; Resurrection, Franklin Park; chaplain, Augustana Hospital and Lakeside VA Medical Center, both Chicago, all Ill.
Gaarder, the Rev. Donald E., 91, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Sept. 13, 2025. Calls: Bethany, Hanks; Skabo, Grenora, both N.D.; First, Britton; Pleasant Valley, Kidder; Lutheran Memorial, Pierre, all S.D.
Huseth, the Rev. Judith L., 77, Janesville, Wis.; Sept. 1, 2025. Calls: Grace, Darlington; St. John, Madison; interim, ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin; St. John, Janesville, all Wis.; St. Paul, Sterling, Ill.
Jensen, the Rev. Carol A., 76, Everett, Wash.; Aug. 2, 2025. Calls: Trinity, Philadelphia; St. John and St. John United, Seattle.
Kraus, the Rev. Gerhard W., 69, Fenton, Mo.; Sept. 3, 2025. Calls: Trinity (LCMS), Carneys Point, N.J.; Grace, Tampa, Fla.; Christ the King, West Chester; Trinity, Circleville, both Ohio; chaplain, Meridian Village, Glen Carbon, Ill.
Matthias, the Rev. Robert F., 91, Swarthmore, Pa.; Sept. 10, 2025. Calls: Evangelical, Waynesboro; Prince of Peace, Altoona; associate director, LCA Commission on Youth Ministry; coordinator for youth ministry, LCA Division for Parish Services, Philadelphia; Messiah, Harrisburg; interim, St. John, Pottstown; interim, Redeemer-East Falls, Philadelphia; assistant to the bishop, ELCA Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, all Pa.
Moerbe, the Rev. Kenneth E., 82, Brenham, Texas; Sept. 1. Calls: St. Paul, Brenham; St. Matthew, Waco, both Texas.
Nelson, the Rev. Lee A., 70, Northwood, Iowa; April 20, 2025. Call: First, International Falls, Minn.
Oelschlager, the Rev. Harold E., 95, Grayslake, Ill.; July 28, 2025. Calls: St. Paul, Minneapolis; Faith, Marshfield, Wis.; St. John, Dubuque, Iowa; faculty, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.; Dune, Michigan City, Ind.
Olson, the Rev. Stanley N., 79, Minneapolis; Sept. 12, 2025. Calls: First, Duluth, Minn.; faculty, Luther Northwestern (now Luther), St. Paul; Our Savior, New Ulm, all Minn. In 1994 he was elected bishop of the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod, serving until 2002. He then served the ELCA churchwide organization as executive director of the Division for Ministry (2002-2005) and as executive director of the Vocation and Education unit (2005-2010). In 2011, he became president of Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, serving until his retirement in 2015.
Peterson, the Rev. Duane W., 94, Peoria, Ariz.; July 31, 2025. Calls: Trinity, Tracy; Trinity, Gaylord, both Minn.; St. Paul, Gilman, Ill.; St. John, Winthrop; interim, First, St. James; interim, Calvary, Mankato; interim, Heron Lake, Heron Lake; Belmont, Windom, all Minn.
Skinner, the Rev. Mary E., 89, Belleville, Ill.; Aug. 11, 2025. Calls: Ascension, Rome, N.Y.; Beautiful Savior, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; St. Mark, Nokomis, Ill.
Soli, the Rev. Karen L., 77, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Sept. 6, 2025. Calls: Bethesda, Alexandria; Our Savior, Virginia, both Minn.; Augustana, Sioux Falls; interim, ELCA South Dakota Synod; coordinator, Food to You Mobile Ministry, Sioux Falls. Following retirement, she served three terms in the South Dakota House of Representatives, where she was known for her known for her bridge-building approach.
Tollefson, the Rev. Dennis N., 86, Minnetonka, Minn.; Aug. 22, 2025. Calls: Pleasant Valley, Vermillion; First, Wakonda, both S.D.; Olivet, Fargo, N.D.; Midvale Community, Madison, Wis.; Cambridge, Cambridge, Minn.