Rev. Joseph R. HESTENES

HESTENES, SILRUM, HALVERSON, GANGSTAD, KNUTSON, HESS, GROTNES, KENDALL, JOHNSON, MAGELSSEN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 4/23/2009 at 11:31:44

Mason City Globe Gazette
August 9, 1996

NORTHWOOD, IA -- The Rev. Joseph R. Hestenes, 85, of Northwood, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, died Wednesday (Aug. 7, 1996) at North Iowa Mercy Health Center East, Mason City. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Monday at First Lutheran Church in Northwood with the Rev. Mark Bents and the Rev. David Wall officiating. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Conner Colonial Chapel, 99 11th St. S., Northwood, and one hour prior to service time on Monday at the church. The family of the Rev. Joseph R. Hestenes has requested that memorial contributions be made to the Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., or to the First Lutheran Church in Northwood in his memory. Funeral services also will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Norway Lutheran Church in Wind Lake, Wis., with the Rev. Allen Wahl officiating. Burial will be in the Norway Lutheran Church Cemetery. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service time at the church on Tuesday. The Mealy-Koenig Funeral Home, Waterford, Wis., is in charge of those arrangements.

The Rev. Joseph R. Hestenes was born on Nov. 14, 1910, in Thor, Iowa, a son of the Rev. Jacob and Carie (Silrum) Hestenes. He received his education in the Waterford, Wis., school system, graduating from Waterford High School. He also received his bachelor of arts degree in 1932 at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and his bachelor of theology degree at the Luther Theological Seminary in 1935. He was united in marriage to Luella Halverson on June 15, 1935, at the Old Muskego Lutheran Church (now the Norway Lutheran Church). During his ministry, he served parishes which include, multiple Lutheran parishes in Bigfork, Mont., from 1935 until 1939, Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman, Mont., from 1939 until 1944, Central Lutheran Church in Edgerton, Wis., from 1944 until 1961, Atonement Lutheran Church in Muskego, Wis., from 1961 until 1964, First Lutheran Church in Janesville, Wis., from 1964 until 1967, and Blanchardville and York Memorial Lutheran in Blanchardville, Wis., from 1967 until 1975. He was also a visitation pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waupun, Wis., from 1975 until 1987. Upon his retirement, he and his wife moved to Stevens Point, Wis., where he continued to minister in the surrounding parishes. He and his wife, Luella, moved to the Maple Court Apartments in Northwood in April of 1995. In 1959, he authored a book titled, `"It's All in the Family," and also wrote devotions for several years for the Lutheran Herald and Christ In Our Home devotional.

Left to cherish his memory is his wife, Luella Hestenes of Northwood; two daughters, Leila Gangstad and her husband, Lowell, of Northwood, and Judy Knutson and her husband, the Rev. Ken Knutson, of Stevens Point, Wis.; seven grandchildren, Sandra Hess and her husband, Gary, of Dexter, Mich., Lori Kendall and her husband, David, of Chanhassen, Minn., Julie Grotnes and her husband, Matthew, of West Des Moines, Kari Johnson and her husband, Jeff, of West Des Moines, Brian Knutson and his wife, Holly, of Monroe, Wis., Nathan Knutson and his wife, Michele, of Minneapolis, Minn., and Kaia Knutson of Minneapolis; 10 great-grandchildren, Alex and Abby Hess, Emily and Elsa Kendall, Sam and Ben Grotnes, Tyler Johnson and Elizabeth, Hanna, and Madeline Knutson; as well as other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; a twin sister, Margaret; a sister, Harda (Rev. Nels) Magelssen; and two brothers, Dr. Erling Hestenes, and Leonard Hestenes.