IN MEMORIAM (September 2025)

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

DUNKER, KARL JOHN REV., Aug. 10, 1941, Paterson, N.J., to June 8, 2025, Augusta, Ga.; son of Rev. Egbert and Erna (Dugroo) Dunker; graduated Springfield Seminary 1966. Served 1966-2006. Ministries/Parishes: Bedford, Leesville, Anderson, Ind.; Augusta, Ga. Florida-Georgia District Circuit Visitor 1988-2000. Retired 2006. Preceded in death by his wife Johnetta (Bigham) Dunker, son Matthias and daughter Sharon. Survivors: son: Jonathan; daughter: Susan Paulett. Memorial Service: June 17, 2025, Augusta, Ga.; Interment: Athens, Tenn.

FIGULY, JEROME CHARLES REV., Feb. 17, 1932, Whiting, Ind.; to April 2, 2025, Merritt Island, Fla.; son of John and Susie Figuly; graduated Springfield 1957. Served 1971-1997. Ministries/Parishes: Port Charlotte, Jacksonville, Fla; Florida-Georgia District Circuit Visitor 1981-1991. Retired 1997. Preceded in death by his wife Grace (Liland) Figuly. Survivors: sons: Thomas, James; daughter: Deborah Sokol.

HINMAN, DAVID GERALD REV., April 3, 1951, Kansas City, Mo., to Jan. 20, 2025, Bradenton, Fla.; son of Gerald and Gladys Hinman; graduated Ft. Wayne Seminary 1994. Served 1994-2007. Ministries/Parishes: Elmore, Minn.; Bradenton, Fla. Retired 2021. Survivors: Jeannette (Askelson) Hinman; daughters: Kelly Pruse, Holly, Lindsay Marcy. Funeral: Jan. 25, 2025, Parrish, Fla.

KRUSE, DAVID ARTHUR REV., Jan. 24, 1933, Cleveland, Ohio, to June 13, 2025, Middleton, Wis.; son of Arthur Jr. and Ruth (Duckwitz) Kruse; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1957. Served 1957-1998. Ministries/Parishes: Temple Terrace, Tallahassee, Fla.; E. Lansing, Mich.; Green Valley, Ariz.; English District 4th Vice-President 1992-1994. English District Circuit Visitor 1992-1994. Retired 1998. Preceded in death by sons Matthew, Mark, and David. Survivors: Winifred (Weimar) Kruse; sons: Timothy, Stephen, Andrew, Paul; daughter: Kathryn Kraske.

LINDNER, JOHN THOMAS REV., April 16, 1949, Dallas, Texas, to June 7, 2025, Bella Vista, Ark.; graduated Ft. Wayne Seminary 1981. Served 1981-2013. Ministries/Parishes: Philippines; Lampasas, Burleson, Houston, Plano, Texas. Texas District Circuit Visitor 2003-2009. Retired 2013. Survivors: Cheryl (Carlson) Lindner; daughters: Heather Tufts, Aimee Theole, Catherine. Funeral: June 13, 2025, Rogers, Ark.; Interment: June 13, 2025, Bella Vista, Ark.

MEYLE, ROLAND OTTO REV., June 7, 1935, Ludwigsburg, GERMANY, to June 3, 2025, Grafton, Wis.; son of Otto and Hedwig (Hohing) Meyle; graduated Springfield 1963. Served 1967-2003. Ministries/Parishes: Union Grove, Port Washington, Wis.; Kazakhstan, Russia. South Wisconsin District Circuit Visitor 1980-1988. Retired 2003. Preceded in death by wife Janet (Sieber) Meyle. Survivors: sons: Karl, Kurt; daughter: Anita Creswell. Funeral: June 7, 2025, Port Washington, Wis.; Interment: June 7, 2025, Plymouth, Wis.

MUENCH, PAUL EDWARD REV. DR., Dec. 2, 1946, Farrar, Mo., to June 15, 2025, Knoxville, Tenn.; son of John and Norma (Schuessler) Muench; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1972. Served 1972-1979, 1982-1995, 1996-2018. Ministries/Parishes: PAPUA, NEW GUINEA; Winfield, Kan.; St. Paul, Minn.; Aurora, Ill.; Russia; Austin, Texas. Retired 2018. Survivors: Andrea (Luedtke) Muench; sons: Benjamin, Samuel, John; daughters: Noel Rupprecht, Caroline Cleland. Celebration of Life and Interment: June 20, 2025, Knoxville, Tenn.

MYERS, LARRY WAYNE REV., Sept. 1, 1946, Cape Girardeau, Mo., to May 27, 2025, New Berlin, Wis.; son of Willard and Wilma (Biri) Myers, graduated St. Louis Seminary 1972. Served 1972-2017. Ministries/Parishes: SEOUL, KOREA; St. Paul, Minn.; Frankfurt, Germany; Austin, Texas; Milwaukee, Elm Grove, Wis. South Wisconsin District 4th Vice-President 2006-2009. Retired 2025. Survivor: son: Christoph-Martin Mattias Myers. Funeral: June 2, 2025, Manitowoc, Wis; Interment: June 2, 2025, Union Grove, Wis.

PHILIPP, EARL DEAN REV., Nov. 5, 1938, Olney, Texas, to April 29, 2025, Oklahoma City, Okla.; son of E. Marvin and Leah (Schlegel) Philipp; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1965. Served 1965-1988, 1991-2015. Ministries/Parishes: Lafe, Ark.; Lee’s Summit, Mo.; El Reno, Tuttle, Bethany, Hinton, Okla. Oklahoma District Circuit Visitor 1982. Retired 2015. Preceded in death by wife Joan (Kleinlein) Philipp and daughter Adrianna. Funeral and Interment: May 8, 2025, Onley, Texas.

RIFFEL, ELMER LEE REV., July 7, 1931, DeRidder, La., to May 16, 2025, Lutz, Fla.; son of Edwin and Caroline (Meyer) Riffel; graduated Springfield Seminary 1970. Served 1970-1996. Ministries/Parishes: Newnan, Ga.: Tampa, Fla. Retired 1996. Survivors: Pauline Montgomery Riffel; sons: Paul, Bruce. Memorial Service: May 24, 2025, Tampa, Fla.

VANDERHYDE, CHARLES ARTHUR REV., Dec. 8, 1934, Long Island, N.Y., to April 17, 2025, Aurora, Colo.; son of Charles and Grace (Lauten) Vanderhyde; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1961. Served 1961- 1994. Ministries/Parishes: Pecos, Monahans, Texas; Apple Valley, Hesperia, Calif. Retired 1996. Survivors: Janice (Benner) Vanderhyde; sons: David, Jonathan, Michael; daughter: Rebecca Haiderer. Funeral: April 27, 2025, Denver, Colo.

YERGEY, RONALD CARL REV. DR., July 14, 1943, Philadelphia, Pa., to Jan. 13, 2025, Allentown, Pa.; son of Alfred Jr. and Dorothy (Strong) Yergey; colloquy 2008. Joined LCMS as Emeritus 2008. Survivors: Dorothy (Oswald) Yergey; son: Michael; daughter: Christine. Memorial Service: Jan. 26, 2025, Macungie, Pa.

ZUP, LANNY R. REV., Jan. 3, 1936, Cleveland, Ohio, to May 13, 2025, Archbold, Ohio; son of Julius and Eugenia (Zacharov) Zup; graduated St. Louis Seminary 1960. Served 1960-1992. Ministries/Parishes: Westville, Otis, Ind.; Rochester, N.Y.; Miramar, Fla.; Edgerton, Ohio. Retired 1992. Survivors: Bonnie (Feltz) Zup; son: Andrew; daughter: Susan. Funeral: May 23, 2025; Stryker, Ohio.

COMMISSIONED

ECKERT, ROBERT, Oct. 10, 1940, Poland, to Dec. 29, 2024; son of Wilhem and Amalie Eckert; graduated River Forest 1972. Served 1978-1987, 1995-1998. Schools/Ministries: Gretna, La.; Milwaukee, Wis. Retired 1998. Survivors: Judith Eckert; son: John; daughter: Rachel. Funeral: Jan. 3, 2025, Brookfield, Wis.; Interment: Milwaukee, Wis.

JEDELE, CHARLES EDWARD, May 10, 1936, Denison, Iowa, to June 2, 2025, Wichita, Kan.; son of Carl and Frieda (Rath) Jedele; graduated Seward 1959. Served 1959-1998. Schools/Ministries: Bremen, Topeka, Kan.; Springfield, Ill.; Silverton, Ohio; Flint, Mich.; Colorado Springs, Colo. Retired 1998. Survivors: Pauline Ann (Schlichting) Jedele; son: Mark; daughters: Rebecca Robertson, Tamara McCue. Memorial Service: July 18, 2025, Wichita, Kan.

PREUSS, ARTHUR LEE SR., June 18, 1932, Arlington Heights, Ill., to Jan. 5, 2025, Racine, Wis.; son of Theodore and Ruth (Bendien) Preuss; graduated River Forest 1954. Served 1954-2019. Schools/Ministries: Sheboygan, Racine, Wis. Retired 2019. Survivors: Grace (Wunsch) Preuss; son: Art; daughters: Bonnie Christensen, Nancy, Mary. Funeral and Interment: Jan. 10, 2025, Racine, Wis.

SIMPSON, DONALD LEON, Sept. 29, 1929, Los Angeles, Calif., to Feb. 23, 2025, Glendora, Calif.; son of Leon and Emelie Simpson; graduated River Forest 1951. Served 1951-1996. Schools/Ministries: Montebello, Glendora, Calif. Retired 1996. Preceded in death by his wife Jean (Neumann) Simpson and son John. Survivors: daughters: Cheryl Olenik, Susan Herman, Karen. Memorial Service: May 3, 2025, Glendora, Calif.; Interment: Glendora, Calif.

TEMME, EDWIN GEORGE, Jan. 31, 1933, Evansville, Ind., to June 11, 2025, Clearwater, Fla.; son of Edwin and Clara Temme; graduated River Forest 1955. Served 1955-1998. Schools/Ministries: Glendale, Wis.; Decatur, Ga.; St. Petersburg, Fla. Retired 1998. Survivors: Janet (Schmidt) Temme; sons: Mark, Steven, Jeffery. Memorial Service: June 16, 2025, Clearwater, Fla.

WEGENER, THOMAS LEONARD, March 1, 1941, Bay City, Mich., to June 7, 2025, Midland, Mich.; son of Leonard and Marie (Ittner) Wegener; graduated River Forest 1964. Served 1964-2003. Schools/Ministries: Chicago, Ill.; Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.; Elkhart, Ind.; Midland, Mich. Retired 2003. Survivors: Ruth (Thiel) Wegener; son: Martin; daughter: Laura Cergnul. Funeral: June 13, 2025, Auburn, Mich.; Interment: Bay City, Mich.

ZOBEL, BETH ARLENE (STEIL), Jan. 30, 1931, West Point, Neb., to March 23, 2025, Yorkville, Ill.; daughter of George and Ruth (Pittack) Steil; graduated River Forest 1973. Served 1987-1997. Schools/Ministries: Kansas City, Mo.; Yorkville, Ill. Retired 1997. Preceded in death by her husband Marlin Zobel. Survivors: son: James; daughters: Suzanne, Mary Buchholz, Karen Hight. Funeral: March 29, 2025, Yorkville, Ill.; Interment: Yorkville, Ill.