We pray for the friends and family of Deacon Ardie Senft passed away on May 3, 2025, at the age of 79. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 17 at 11:00 a.m. at Living Water Lutheran Church in Scottsdale. Ardie served faithfully for over 30 years as a diaconal minister in the ELCA, embodying Christ’s call to serve others through teaching, pastoral care, and community leadership. Memorials may be directed to Arizona Faith Network and Feed My Starving Children.
Read MoreWe offer our heartfelt prayers for the friends and family of Pastor Dan Olson and his beloved wife, Barbara Olson. May God’s comforting presence be with all who mourn their passing and celebrate their faithful lives.
Pastor Dan Olson passed away on Friday, February 21, 2025. His wife, Barbara, preceded him in death just a couple of months earlier, on December 30, 2024. Their lives of faith and service will be honored in a joint memorial service at Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church (15820 W. Clearview Blvd., Surprise, AZ 85374) on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 11 a.m. Pastor Dan’s brother, Paul Olson, a retired ELCA pastor, will join in leading this service of remembrance and thanksgiving.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Pastor Frank Nausin, who died April 15, 2025.
Tanque Verde Lutheran Church shares: “Pastor Frank faithfully served as Lead Pastor of TVLC from 1982-2002, and again as Interim Pastor in 2016. We will forever be grateful for the leadership, inspiration, and love that Pastor Frank poured into our congregation over the years.
Please keep Linda, Tim, Jeremy, and their whole family in your prayers during this time. We ask that you help them maintain their privacy and peace while they spend this holy time with their family. As Linda is currently transitioning apartments, they ask that all cards be directed to the TVLC office. Details on a memorial service will be forthcoming.”
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Rev. Jack Raymond Neimi, who passed peacefully at home on January 15, 2025. The primary memorial service for Pastor Niemi will be held in California, with a smaller local service at Lord of Life Lutheran in Sun City West on March 20, 2025, at 11 am.
Pastor Niemi was born in Two Harbors MN, and lived in Surprise, Arizona. He was a member of Lord of Life in Sun City West. He served many churches in the Grand Canyon Synod.
Read MoreMartin E. Marty, one of the most influential interpreters of American religion, passed away on Feb. 25 at the age of 97. A scholar, historian, and theologian, Marty coined the term public theology, emphasizing the role of faith in the common good. His work in academia, public discourse, and church life left a lasting impact on American Protestantism and Lutheranism. A memorial service will be held on March 29 at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, with a livestream available. Click here to read more at Living Lutheran.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Rev. Doris Nolan, who passed away peacefully on January 25, 2025, at her home in Simi Valley, California. She was surrounded by the love of her family and friends.
Memorial gifts in Pastor Doris’s honor may be directed to ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, Global Refuge, or Lutheran World Relief. We will share details of memorial services as they become available.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Deacon Lorraine S. Brugh, who died Saturday, January 25, 2025. A memorial service will be held Saturday, 2/22/2025 at 10:30 am at Pinnacle Presbyterian (25150 N Pima Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85255).
Deacon Brugh was the Frederick J. Kruse Endowed Chair in Church Music at Valparaiso University. She helped lead the development of the ELCA’s Evangelical Lutheran Worship and was co-author of The Sunday Assembly, published in 2008 to help church leaders incorporate the hymnal’s materials into worship services. She was involved in the development of Lutheran music and worship practices for many years and is a past-president of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. At our 2024 assembly, along with Deacon Kate Adelman, she organized Wild Life: A Hymn Festival.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Donald R. Thompson, who died December 9, 2024
The Celebration of Life for Love of Christ Lutheran Church Founding Pastor, Donald R. Thompson, will be Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 10AM in the Center of Compassion (1525 N. Power Road Mesa, AZ 85205).
Read MoreWe pray for the friends and family of Rev. Ronald Franklin Pechauer, who died December 4, 2024 in Apple Valley, MN. Pastor Pechauer had served at Shepherd of the Desert in Sun City, as well as many other churches. Obituary is available here.
Read MoreWe give thanks for the life and ministry of Pastor Harold Peterson, who passed away on Saturday, 9/14/2024. A memorial service will be held September 17, 2024, at 11 a.m. at American Lutheran Church in Sun City, with a luncheon to follow. Please keep Pastor Harold’s family and friends in your prayers.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Arlene Helen (Iverson) Johnson—widow of the Rev. Ken Johnson—who passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on August 1, 2024, in Phoenix Arizona.
She served as church secretary at Grace Lutheran Church in Phoenix from 1979-1996. Her life was marked by her unwavering support to her husband’s pastoral work, embodying the role of a pastor’s wife with grace and resilience. They served congregations in St. Helens, Oregon; Portland, Oregon and Phoenix, Arizona.
A service to celebrate Arlene’s life will be held on October 5th, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Mountain View Lutheran Church in Ahwatukee, located at 11002 S. 48th St, Phoenix, AZ 85044. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Arlene’s memory to Mountain View Lutheran Church.
Read MoreWe pray for the friends and family of Pastor Colin H. Melby, who died on August 28, 2024 in the Philippines. We especially lift up and pray for his wife Connie Melby.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Deacon Brenda Laukonis, who died March 16, 2024. She was most recently an administrator at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Tucson and filled many other roles for Lutheran Churches in Alaska and Chicago throughout her life of giving.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Rev. Leslie Niemi, who died January 22, 2024, in Lake Havasu City.
A memorial service was held at Mount Olive Lutheran Church on January 26 with Pr. Craig M. Corbin officiating. A final service was held at Eden Lutheran Church in Munising on June 10 with Bishop Katherine Finegan and Rev. Paul Kelto officiating.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Marge Ahlstrand—widow of the Rev. Kenneth Ahlstrand—who died July 20, 2024.
She was surrounded at home by her daughters and now rests in the Peace of the Lord.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Rev. Nelson Sulouff, a member of Resurrection, retired ELCA pastor, and military chaplain who passed away on February 14, 2024.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Norma Jean MacAdam, who passed away on Palm Sunday, March 25,2024, at the age of 94. She is the wife of Rev. Thomas L. MacAdam, founder of Saved By Grace Lutheran Church in Pahrump.
Her son, Kevin MacAdam, lets us know that her memorial service will be held at Good Samaritan Lutheran Church on May 7th at 11:00 a.m. and her internment at the veterans cemetery next to Rev. MacAdam that same day at 2:00 p.m. in Boulder. Anyone that would like to attend either service is welcome.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Rev. John Roger Anderson, who died December 24, 2023.
Rev. Anderson was a former bishop of the Southwest California Synod, and a former pastor at Lord of Life Church in Sun City West.
Roger's Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 13th at 11:00 AM at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1 West Avenida de los Arboles, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers to the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Ossuarium Fund (which Roger served on the committee) or the El Salvador/Sister Church Fund https://www.htlcto.org/give.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Rev. Charles Paulson, who died December 15, 2023.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, 2/10/2023, 11am, American Lutheran Church of Sun City (17200 N Del Webb Blvd., Sun City, AZ 85373). A reception will follow the memorial service in the Fellowship Hall at noon following the memorial service. People attending the reception shout RSVP at 623-974-2512. Lunch will be provided, and this will help them plan accordingly.
Pastor Paulson worked within the ALC congregation for twenty years and was much beloved by a good percentage of the membership as he was the intake pastor with whom they had first and often quite memorable contact.
Read MoreWe pray for the family and friends of Rev. Dr. Carl Braaten, who died October 28, 2023.
A memorial service will be held November 25, 2023, 1pm, at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Sun City West, 13724 W. Meeker Boulevard, Sun City West, AZ 85375.
Read More
