Dale R. Tollefson was called home to Eternal Life on August 11, 2017. Age 67. He was born on March 22, 1950 to Walfred and Elaine (nee Johnson) Tollefson in Lansing, MI. He was brought to saving faith in Jesus through Holy Baptism on May 27, 1950 in Crystal Falls, MI. Dale grew in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and was able to publicly confess his faith at his Confirmation on May 17, 1964 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Vassar, MI.
Dale had a strong desire to become a Lutheran pastor and studied at the following Wisconsin Synod schools: Michigan Lutheran Seminary ’68, Northwestern College ’72, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary ’76. Upon completion of his training he was ordained into the public ministry and served the following parishes: St. John’s , St. Paul, MN (vicar); Good Shepherd, West Bend, WI (senior vicar); Our Redeemer, Hunstville, AL; St. John’s, Hill Point and Trinity, Lime Ridge, WI (dual parish); Mt. Olive, Monroe, WI; and Star of Bethlehem, New Berlin, WI. He also received his teaching license at Wisconsin Lutheran College and taught briefly at Wisconsin Lutheran High School, Wisconsin Lutheran College and St. Amelian’s.
Dale was dedicated to the teaching of God’s Holy Word in Bible Classes and also working with youth ministry. He wrote an unpublished young adult Christian adventure novel entitled “The Home of My People”. In the prologue, he writes, “It is my hope and prayer that your familiarity with the Scriptural allusions will lead you to delve more deeply into God’s story, so that by returning to the true source of what life is all about, you might drink ever more extensively from the well that supplies us the water of life, and which alone can lead us to our Promised Land. For like the characters in my book, the journey that we make through this life is also one filled with challenges and difficulties, but which likewise is hopefully directed to our real home [in heaven]!”
He is survived by his children: Jessica Jensen, Sara (Sam) James, Amelia (Tim Sie), Rebecca, Luther and their mother Tamara Steiner as well as his sister Carol (Richard) Utkan and his brother Pastor Don (Deb) Tollefson. He was also blessed with many nieces and nephews, their children, and eleven grandchildren.
The family is grateful that the pastors and members of his home congregation, St. Jacobi, visited and provided transportation after Dale’s onset of Parkinson’s disease so that he could continue to make regular use of the means of Grace. He has now won the victory by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The Christian funeral took place at St. Jacobi Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenfield, WI on Friday, September 8, 2017.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.’” Revelation 14:13
Glen Thompson
Dale R. Tollefson was called home to Eternal Life on August 11, 2017. Age 67. He was born on March 22, 1950 to Walfred and Elaine (nee Johnson) Tollefson in Lansing, MI. He was brought to saving faith in Jesus through Holy Baptism on May 27, 1950 in Crystal Falls, MI. Dale grew in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and was able to publicly confess his faith at his Confirmation on May 17, 1964 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Vassar, MI.
Dale had a strong desire to become a Lutheran pastor and studied at the following Wisconsin Synod schools: Michigan Lutheran Seminary ’68, Northwestern College ’72, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary ’76. Upon completion of his training he was ordained into the public ministry and served the following parishes: St. John’s , St. Paul, MN (vicar); Good Shepherd, West Bend, WI (senior vicar); Our Redeemer, Hunstville, AL; St. John’s, Hill Point and Trinity, Lime Ridge, WI (dual parish); Mt. Olive, Monroe, WI; and Star of Bethlehem, New Berlin, WI. He also received his teaching license at Wisconsin Lutheran College and taught briefly at Wisconsin Lutheran High School, Wisconsin Lutheran College and St. Amelian’s.
Dale was dedicated to the teaching of God’s Holy Word in Bible Classes and also working with youth ministry. He wrote an unpublished young adult Christian adventure novel entitled “The Home of My People”. In the prologue, he writes, “It is my hope and prayer that your familiarity with the Scriptural allusions will lead you to delve more deeply into God’s story, so that by returning to the true source of what life is all about, you might drink ever more extensively from the well that supplies us the water of life, and which alone can lead us to our Promised Land. For like the characters in my book, the journey that we make through this life is also one filled with challenges and difficulties, but which likewise is hopefully directed to our real home [in heaven]!”
He is survived by his children: Jessica Jensen, Sara (Sam) James, Amelia (Tim Sie), Rebecca, Luther and their mother Tamara Steiner as well as his sister Carol (Richard) Utkan and his brother Pastor Don (Deb) Tollefson. He was also blessed with many nieces and nephews, their children, and eleven grandchildren.
The family is grateful that the pastors and members of his home congregation, St. Jacobi, visited and provided transportation after Dale’s onset of Parkinson’s disease so that he could continue to make regular use of the means of Grace. He has now won the victory by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The Christian funeral took place at St. Jacobi Evangelical Lutheran Church in Greenfield, WI on Friday, September 8, 2017.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.’” Revelation 14:13