Sunday, November 27, 2016
I'm sorry to read of Harold's death even though it's nearly 5 years later now.
I was a sophomore in high school and a member of St.John's Lutheran Church in LeMars when Harold served his internship year there in 1955-'56. I was a member of (and served as pianist for) the teen-age level Sunday School class which Harold taught during that year.
About 11 years later, he visited my parents in LeMars one summer when I happened to be visiting them also; I lived in CT at the time and had been a widow for about a year. Harold and I renewed our acquaintance and began a bit of casual dating, which became more serious but at long-distance since he was at that time a pastor in Cedar Rapids and I was a high school teacher in Windsor, CT. But at some point during that year Harold invited me to visit him in Cedar Rapids, so I flew out to Cedar Rapids for a long weekend. He was an interesting conversationalist and a wonderful, sincere person. However, the relationship couldn't survive the challenges of the geographical separation,and eventually we each went back to our own lives. I married someone else a few years later, so Harold & I were out of touch for many years, though I followed his career as a pastor via the clergy information notices in the monthly newsletter published by the national church.
Later, I was informed by a member of Harold's family (can't remember how we got connected!) that Harold was in ill health--possibly from suffering a stroke--and living in a facility in Spirit Lake. I phoned him there and we had a brief conversation, but he was clearly not well. That was my last contact with Harold, but I never forgot him.
He was a true servant of God, dedicated to selflessly leading and helping the people in the congregations he served. His favorite vacation activity was hiking in the Rockies, enjoying God's creation and renewing his energy in order to better serve his people when he returned to his congregation.
I have no doubt that he is now at peace and with his God.
