Pastor Donald Deines
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Pastor Don Deines, 65, of Austin died peacefully on Sunday, June 6, 2010, at the Three Links Care Center, Northfield, Minn.
An ordained pastor of the ELCA, Don had been on disability since 2004 due to young onset Alzheimer’s.
Don was born on November 15, 1944, to the Rev. I.J. and Dorothy (MacAllister) Deines and grew up in the lovely town of Greene located on the Shell Rock River in North Central Iowa. He graduated from Greene High School in 1963. He then attended Luther College where he was a member of the Nordic Choir, serving as president of the choir for its 1967 European Tour. After graduating from Luther, he married Judy Snell in Mason City, Iowa on Aug. 20, 1967. He then attended Luther Seminary in St, Paul, Minn. He was ordained in 1971 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Greene, Iowa. His first call was as youth pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in LeMars, Iowa. Don also served as Co-Pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran in Tacoma, Wash.; Pastor of Underwood Lutheran Church, Underwood, Iowa; Pastor of Life and Growth at Bethel Lutheran in Rochester, Minn.; and Senior Pastor of Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Austin. Don loved being a pastor, especially the people part of ministry and the preaching.
Don is survived by his wife, Judy Deines of Northfield, Minn.; sons and daughter-in-law, Benjamin Deines of Austin, Joseph and Becky Deines of Bend, Ore.; daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Pastor Dan Forsgren of Cannon Falls, Minn.; grandchildren, Autumn Weeks, Donny, Karis and William Forsgren; brothers and sisters-in-law, Joe and Fontell Deines of Cordova, Ill., Pastor John and Martha Deines of Cedar Falls, Iowa; sister and brother-in-law, Carol and Jim Neessen of Tucson, Ariz.; mother-in-law, Leola Snell of Mason City, Iowa; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Pat and Dr. Keith Colwell of Johnston, Iowa, Dr. Mick and Carol Snell of Hampton, Iowa; nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, June 11, 2010, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church with the Rev. Glenn L. Monson and Bishop Harold L. Usgaard officiating. Interment will be at Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City, Iowa. Visitation will be at the Clasen-Jordan Mortuary on Thursday, June 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. and at the church on Friday for one hour before the service.
Memorials are preferred to the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Research Center or Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Austin.
Arrangements are by the Clasen-Jordan Mortuary.