In Memoriam (November 2019)

IN MEMORIAM

Obituary information is provided by district offices to the Synod’s Office of Rosters and Statistics. Any questions about content should be referred, therefore, to the appropriate district office. — Ed.

ORDAINED

BENKE, RICHARD REV., March 30, 1937, Milwaukee, Wis., to July 21, 2019, Peoria, Ill.; son of George and Venus (Moore) Benke; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1962. Served 1962-2002. Ministries/Parishes: Racine, Wis.; Baltimore, Md.; St. Louis, Mo.; East Moline, Morton, Ill. Retired 2002. Preceded in death by his son Rev. Steven. Survivors: Carlee (Mutschink) Benke; son: Mark; daughter: Dawn Conrad. Memorial Service: July 30, 2019, Morton, Ill.; cremation.

BRAEM, RICHARD GEORGE REV., Sept. 14, 1928, Turtle Lake, Wis., to July 27, 2019, Aloha, Ore.; son of Rev. Otto and Ella (Richter) Braem; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1953. Served 1953-1990. Ministries/Parishes: Kimberly, B.C., Canada; Cass Lake, Minn.; Aloha, Ore. Retired 1990. Preceded in death by his daughters Sheila, Jean Stacey. Survivors: Joann (Gall) Braem; sons: David, Michael, Paul, Richard; daughter: Karen. Funeral: Aug. 2, 2019, Aloha, Ore.

GLADE, EUGENE C. REV., Feb. 10, 1932, Ocheyedan, Iowa, to July 11, 2019, Mankato, Minn.; son of Erwin and Ella (Bremer) Glade; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1958. Served 1958-1996. Ministries/Parishes: Mankato, Minn.; Hudson, Wis. Retired 1996. Survivors: Patricia (Rupp) Glade; son: Nathan; daughters: Kimberly Tilghman, Dana. Funeral and Interment: July 15, 2019, Mankato, Minn.

GREENE, ROBERT CHARLES REV., May 15, 1938, Denison, Iowa, to July 10, 2019, Georgetown, Texas; son of Rev. Elmer and Mabel (Scheel) Greene; graduated Springfield Seminary 1963. Served 1963-1980, 1981-1998. Ministries/Parishes: Hoxie, R.I.; Chaute, Kan.; Hutchinson, Fla.; Omaha, Neb.; Austin, Texas. Retired 1998. Preceded in death by his son David. Survivors: Donna (Doehrman) Greene; son: Steven; daughter: Diane Edwards. Memorial Service and Interment: July 19, 2019, Walburg, Texas.

HAKE, ROGERS KENNETH REV. DR., Aug. 16, 1932, St. Louis, Mo., to July 29, 2019, South Bend, Ind.; son of John and Ruth (Schaefer) Hake; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1959. Served 1959-1968, 1985-1988, 1989-1994, 2006-2007. Ministries/Parishes: Lagrange, Ill.; Oskaloosa, Iowa; Battle Creek, Mich.; Mequon, Wis.; Little Rock, Prairie Grove, Ark. Retired 2007. Survivors: Barbara (Tiebout) Hake; sons: Kelvin, Jon, Matthew, Timothy; daughters: Holly Harris, Sara. Funeral and Interment: Aug. 3, 2019, South Bend, Ind.

HENDERSON, BRIAN THOMAS REV., Aug. 20, 1959, Pewaukee, Wis., to July 8, 2019, San Diego, Calif.; graduated St. Louis Seminary 2007. Served 2008-2019. Ministry/Parish: San Diego, Calif. Pacific Southwest District Circuit Visitor 2015-2018. Survivors: Malia (Nguyen) Henderson. Funeral: July 16, 2019, San Diego, Calif. Interment: July 17, 2019, San Diego, Calif.

HOFT, THEES C. REV., Oct. 9, 1948, to Jan. 12, 2019; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1974. Served 1974-2013. Ministries/Parishes: Belding, Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, St. John, Clinton Township, Mich.; U.S. Navy Chaplain; Hamlin, N.Y. Retired 2013. Survivors: Margaret Hoft. Funeral: Jan. 18, 2019, Fraser, Mich.

JENKINS, DONALD F. REV., Aug. 18, 1934, Maquoketa, Iowa, to July 19, 2019, Edison, Neb.; son of Stanley and Emelia (Gnade) Jenkins; graduated Springfield Seminary 1963. Served 1963-1999. Ministries/Parishes: Deerfield, Ulysses, Kan.; Forrest City, Ark.; Craig, Mound City, Corning, Forest Green, Mo. Retired 1999. Survivors: Carol (DiGiovanni) Jenkins; sons: Michael, Mark, Martin, Matthew, Myron, Marvin. Memorial Service and Interment: August 3, 2019, Arapahoe, Neb.

JUNGKUNTZ, FREDERICK H.O. REV., Aug. 24, 1929, Milwaukee, Wis., to July 16, 2019, Milwaukee, Wis.; son of Paul and Florence (Lahmann) Jungkuntz; colloquy 1985. Served 1985-2000. Ministry/Parish: Watertown, Wis. Retired 2000. Preceded in death by his wife Rennette (Kriofske) Jungkuntz and son Jonathan. Survivors: daughter: Becky Boutch. Funeral and Interment: July 23, 2019, Milwaukee, Wis.

KRAMER, JAMES FREDERICK REV., Feb. 27, 1948, La Jolla, Calif., to June 6, 2019, San Jose, Calif.; son of Herbert and Wilma (Sheldon) Kramer; graduated Springfield Seminary 1975. Served 1975-1984, 1986-2011. Ministries/Parishes: Vincennes, Ind.; San Jose, Calif. Retired 2011. Funeral: June 29, 2019, San Jose, Calif.

PETERSON, CARL L. REV., Nov. 17, 1938, Denver, Colo., to July 19, 2019, Columbus, Ga.; son of Kermit and Iola (smith) Peterson; graduated Ft. Wayne Seminary 1989. Served 1989-2008. Ministries/Parishes: Battle Creek, Iowa; Columbus, Ga. Retired 2008. Preceded in death by his wife Lois (Kilburn) Peterson. Survivors: sons: Kevin, Jeffrey; daughters: Lisa Arnholt, Wendy Leavitt Keefe, Rebecca Leavitt. Funeral: July 24, 2019, Columbus, Ga.

PREISINGER, DONALD CLAUSSEN REV., Nov. 20, 1924, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to July 6, 2019, San Diego, Calif.; son of Rev. Arthur and Lillian (Claussen) Preisinger; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1948. Served 1948-1989. Ministries/Parishes: Edmonton, Alda, Canada; Cahokia, Ill.; Leavenworth, Kan.; Santa Clara, Calif. Retired 1989. Preceded in death by his wife Evelyn (Wehrs) Preisinger and sons Rev. Paul and Matthew. Survivors: Mary Ann (Braun) Preisinger; son: Mark; step-daughters: Susan Howard, Kristin Bales. Funeral and Interment: July 29, 2019, Santa Clara, Calif.

SCHOLZ, ALFRED GUSTON REV., March 19, 1927, Adell, Wis., to July 1, 2019, Houston, Texas; son of Paul and Gertrude (Huebner) Scholz; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1952. Served 1952-1996. Ministries/Parishes: Muskogee, Okla.; Olney, Wichita Falls, Pasadena, Texas. Retired 1996. Preceded in death by his wife Lois (Reimnitz) Scholz. Survivors: sons: Daniel, Thomas, John; daughters: Rebecca Hudson, Miriam Fields. Memorial Service: July 7, 2019, Houston, Texas. Interment: July 6, 2019, Webster, Texas.

SCHRANK, ROBERT J. REV., May 19, 1928, Wittenberg, Wis., to June 13, 2019, Salt Lake City, Utah; son of Alfred and Constance (Helgeson) Schrank; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1954. Served 1954-1993. Ministries/Parishes: Puerto Barrios, Antigua, Guatemala; Caribbean; El Paso, Texas; Juarez, Mexico; Salt Lake City, Utah. Retired 1993. Survivors: sons: Stephen, Michael, Robert, Andrew; daughter: Dorel. Funeral: June 21, 2019, Salt Lake City, Utah.

SKOV, FREDERICK ANDREW REV., April 1, 1931, Brooklyn, N.Y., to July 22, 2019, Aurora, Colo.; son of Bunde and Emma (Mueller) Skov; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1955. Served 1955-1993. Ministries/Parishes: Onida, Agar, S.D.; Slater, Mo.; Lawrenceville, Milan, Ill. Retired 1993. Survivors: Norma (Breitenstein) Skov; son: Steven; daughter: Sharon McManus. Memorial Service: Aug. 10, 2019, Aurora, Colo.

STRASEN, LUTHER G. REV., Sept. 22, 1933, Nagercoil, India, to June 25, 2019, Fort Wayne, Ind.; son of Rev. Bernhard and Henriette (Ziegfeld) Strasen; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1958. Served 1958-1996. Ministries/Parishes: Clintonville, Wis; Greenwood, Ft. Wayne, Ind. Retired 1996. Survivors: sons: Timothy, Michael; daughters: Sarah Jacobs, Catherine Gastineau, Laura Hill. Funeral and Interment: July 16, 2019, Ft. Wayne, Ind.

COMMISSIONED

HERRING, LOUIS BENJAMIN, March 14, 1936, Uniontown, Mo., to June 30, 2019, North Judson, Ind.; son of John and Edna (Heimbecher) Herring; graduated River Forest 1959. Served 1959-1999. Schools/Ministries: Ulm, Stuttgart, Ark.; Higginsville, Mo.; Ft. Wayne, North Judson, Ind. Retired 1999. Survivors: Patricia (Kirchoff) Herring; son: Paul; daughters: Sharon McDonald, Shirley Cronauer, Sandra Shimono. Funeral: July 14, 2019, North Judson, Ind. Interment: July 14, 2019, Denham, Ind.

KNITTEL, JAMES LEE, May 10, 1941, Newton, Kan., to June 12, 2019, Seattle, Wash.; son of Erhardt and Hulda (Walz) Knittel; graduated Seward 1963. Served 1963-2001. School/Ministry: Seattle, Wash. Retired 2001. Survivors: Jeralee (Henke) Knittel; sons: Timothy, David; daughter: Elizabeth Guzman. Memorial Service: June 29, 2019, Seattle, Wash.

LAESCH, ROGER CLIFFORD, March 26, 1935, Granton, Wis., to May 29, 2019, Brookfield, Wis.; son of Arthur and Tabea (Stullich) Laesch; graduated River Forest 1957. Served 1957-1999. Schools/Ministries: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Milwaukee, Wis. Retired 1999. Preceded in death by his wife Jeanette (Heinzel) Laesch. Survivors: sons: Thomas, Timothy; daughter: Susan Young. Memorial Service: June 7, 2019, Milwaukee, Wis. Interment: Brookfield, Wis.

OETTING, EUGENE M., Feb. 27, 1932, Emma, Mo., to May 29, 2019, Seward, Neb.; son of Norbert and Lydia (Nierman) Oetting; graduated Seward 1954. Served 1954-1997. Schools/Ministries: Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, Calif.; Seward, Neb. Retired 1997. Preceded in death by his wife Harriet (Pueggel) Oetting. Survivors: son: David; daughter: Shauna. Funeral and Interment: June 7, 2019, Seward, Neb.

PEEK, MARY LEE (KRAUSE), Jan, 01, 1942, Spokane, Wash., to July 12, 2019, Snohomish, Wash.; daughter of Adolf and Florence (Stolt) Krause; colloquy 1991. Served 1992-2002. School/Ministry: Seattle, Wash. Retired 2002. Survivors: William Peek; son: Michael; daughter: Lisa Nelson. Memorial Service: August 24, 2019, Snohomish, Wash.

PINGEL, MILTON JOHN, Feb. 24, 1930, Orange, Calif., to May 25, 2019, Riverside, Calif.; son of Edwin and Eleanora Pingel; graduated River Forest 1952. Served 1952-1996. Schools/Ministries: Los Angeles, Riverside, Calif. Retired 1996. Preceded in death by his wife Lois Pingel. Survivors: sons: Steven, Scott; daughters: Charon Smith, Debbie McClatchey. Funeral and Interment: June 3, 2019, Riverside, Calif.

SCHLIE, ORLYN AUGUST, March 10, 1922, Elgin, Ill., to July 8, 2019, Oviedo, Fla.; son of Henry and Augusta (Wilharm) Schlie; graduated River Forest 1943. Served 1943-1946, 1947-1984. Schools/Ministries: Jefferson City, Mo.; New Albany, Columbus, Ind.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Retired 1984. Preceded in death by his wife Dorothy (Umbach) Schlie. Survivors: sons: Stephen, Roger, Daniel; daughter: Carolyn Femovich. Funeral: July 15, 2019, Oveido, Fla.

TOENSING, DAVID WILLIAM, Oct. 3, 1943, St. Louis, Mo., to Feb. 20, 2019, Yuma, Ariz.; son of Herbert and Mildred Toensing; graduated Seward 1965. Served 1965-1980, 1981-2009. Schools/Ministries: Montebello, Calif.; Yuma, Ariz. Retired 2009. Survivors: sons: Brett, Mark; daughter: Noelle. Memorial Service and Interment: April 13, 2019, Yuma, Ariz.

UNZICKER, WILLIAM L. III, Aug. 19, 1946, Herrin, Ill., to July 24, 2019, Cape Girardeau, Mo.; son of William II and Lelle (Baker) Unzicker; colloquy 1985. Served 1985-2017. Schools/Ministries: Decatur, Ill.; Stuart, Fla.; Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Mo. Retired 2017. Survivors: Patricia (Benson) Unzicker; sons: William IV, Robert. Memorial Service and Interment: July 29, 2019, Perryville, Mo.

WERTH, GERALD JOHN, March 12, 1943, York, Neb., to July 11, 2019, Denver, Colo.; son of Gerhardt and Erma (Schaepler) Werth; graduated Seward 1966. Served 1966-2005. Schools/Ministries: Hobart, New Haven, Ind. Retired 2005. Survivors: Janet (Sporhase) Werth; son: Charles; daughter: Sarah. Funeral: July 20, 2019 Fort Wayne, Ind. Interment: July 20, 2019, New Haven, Ind.

WINTERSTEIN, JEROME ANDREW, June 6, 1945, Colby, Kan., to Nov. 2, 2018, Maricopa, Ariz.; son of Arno and Ada (Wagner) Winterstein; graduated River Forest 1968. Served 1971-2011. Schools/Ministries: Melrose Park, Forest Park, Westmont, Hinsdale, Ill.; Chandler, Ariz. Retired 2011. Survivors: Beverly Winterstein; daughter: Kristina. Funeral: Nov. 30, 2018, Chandler, Ariz. Interment: Maricopa, Ariz.