David Paul OHLERKING, Sr.

OHLERKING

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 10/28/2010 at 13:01:50

February 14, 1940 -- October 13, 2010

David Paul Ohlerking Sr., Prairieville, Louisiana went to be with Jesus on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2010. He was in his beloved Africa when he passed away as a result of pulmonary heart failure. He was born on Valentine's Day, 1940, in Eagle Grove, Iowa, the third of four sons of Fred and Leona Ohlerking. After a short time of "trying hard to be an atheist," as he described it, he surrendered to Jesus and spent the rest of his life going everywhere telling everybody about the love of Jesus. During the past four decades, he went to 109 countries on six continents. He led ministry and relief projects in some of the hardest situations our world has known: the Vietnam War, famine in Sudan and Ethiopia, wars in Africa and Asia, the AIDS crisis and devastation from natural disasters in Asia, Central America and Africa. Only God knows how many hundreds of thousands of children he cared for, giving them food, clothing, medicine, education and ultimately, hope. He did it all to tell them that "Hope's name is Jesus." He is survived by his wife Jean - together they enjoyed 51 years of marriage that began on Valentine's Day, 1959. Also, their four children, David II, Dan and his wife, Vicki, Susan and her husband, Ben, and Joshua and his wife, Shannon. He was very quick to share his pride in having 13 grandchildren who made him "Pop" - Tori, JD, David III, Kayla, Lincoln, Levi, Vaughn, Monroe, Monet, Trinity, Rhodes, Rhett and Marley. And there are literally thousands of children worldwide who knew him as "Pop." Everyone is invited to a memorial celebration of his life of obedience to the call of God on Saturday, Oct. 23, at Healing Place Church, 19202 Highland Road. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. and a memorial service at 11 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11817 Jefferson Highway. To honor his deepest wishes, his family has set up the Dave Ohlerking Memorial Fund at www.childrenscup.org to benefit the hurting and forgotten children in the hard places of the world. Arrangements by Resthaven Funeral Home.

The Advocate - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
October 22, 2010