Moe, Arnold Ordell (1922-2013)
MOE, MARTENSON, RICHARDSON, WHITE, RIDGWAY, SCOTT, NGUYEN, CHIU, TRAN, HELLER
Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 8/8/2013 at 14:41:05
Arnold Ordell Moe
(June 4, 1922 - June 25, 2013)U.S. Veteran Arnold Ordell Moe, 91, of Columbus, Nebraska, formerly of Lake Mills, Iowa, went to be with his Savior Jesus, on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at Mory's Haven in Columbus.
Mr. Moe was born June 4, 1922, on a farm north west of Lake Mills to Alfred and Gilma (Martenson) Moe. He attended Salem Lutheran Church where he was confirmed. In 1940, he graduated from Lake Mills High School.
In October of 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and did his basic training at Great Lakes Naval Base, Chicago. There, he became a member of the Great Lakes Naval Choir. After serving in the Pacific on the Destroyer Escort U.S.S. Mitchell as a 1st class fire control man, he was honorably discharged in January of 1946. In February of 1949, he began working for Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance (now called Thrivent).
During his time in the Navy, Arnold met Ramona A. Richardson in Washington, D.C., at the Luther Place Memorial Church during a convention of the Luther League. He courted her when she returned to Northfield, Minnesota, and they married at St. John's Lutheran Church, Northfield, on December 6, 1947. Subsequently, they had three sons and a daughter. After the children were grown, they became foster parents to six Vietnamese teenage boys, all of whom lived with them for about two years.
Arnold served as an American Legion Honor Guard, Sunday School Superintendent, Salem Men's Brotherhood leader, Salem choir member, president of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Otto Chose Post, Lake Mills, and as Chaplain for the American Legion for many years. He was an avid sports booster for the Lake Mills Bulldogs and big fan of the Minnesota Vikings. In February of 1990, he retired after forty-one years with the Lutheran Brotherhood, and he and Ramona became “Snow Birds,” spending sixteen winters in Mesa Arizona. While there, he enjoyed golf, swimming, and tennis, even becoming the Arizona Senior Olympics Doubles Champion. He also penned his famous poem, “Easter” while living in Arizona. Subsequently, he distributed thousands of copies of this poem all over America, sharing his faith and his love for Christ with everyone he met.
He and Ramona moved to Columbus, Nebraska, in 2006 to live with their daughter, Cynthia (Cindy), and her husband, Tim White. After Ramona died in 2008, Arnold continued to live with them until December of 2012 when he moved to Mory's Haven in Columbus.
Arnold is survived by his sons, Pastor Richard Moe (Barb Paff), of East Lansing, Michigan, Eric (Esther) Moe, of San Antonio, Texas, and Luther Moe, of Haltom City, Texas; his daughter, Cynthia (Pastor Timothy) White, of Columbus, Nebraska; his grandchildren: Jennifer Ridgway, of Ankeny, Iowa, and Rachel (Greg) Scott, of Omaha, Nebraska; his great-grandchildren: Makenna and Jocelyn Ridgway and Jayden, Samuel, and Wesley Scott, of Omaha, Nebraska; his foster sons: Dung Manh (Teresa) Nguyen, of Janesville, Wisconsin, Jackie Chiu, of Houston, Texas, and Rue Tran, of Duluth, Minnesota.
Arnold was preceded in death by his wife, Ramona; his parents, Alfred and Gilma Moe; his brother, Harlan (Clarine) Moe; and his sister, Florence (Kenneth) Heller.
Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 29, 2013, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Columbus. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. at Trinity. Rev. Timothy White will officiate and give the message. A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 27, 2013, at Salem Lutheran Church, Lake Mills, at 11:00 a.m. Pastor David E. Jordon will officiate and Pastor Tim White will give the message. Inurnment will be in the Salem Memorial Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 26, 2013, at the Mittelstadt Funeral Home, 902 East Main Street, Lake Mills.
Memorials may be directed to Trinity's Memorial Fund or a charity of the donor's choice.
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