Rev. Alfred W. Rodewald
March 1, 1925-September 24, 2020
Rev. Alfred William Rodewald of Concordia, MO died at the Good Shepherd Care Community on September 24, 2020. He was 95. Funeral services will be held Saturday, Oct. 3 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Concordia, with Rev. Michael Pottschmidt and Rev. Andrew Lehenbauer officiating. Visitation will be from 9:00 to 11:00 at the church. Burial with military rites will be in St. Paul’s Cemetery. Friends may sign the online register book at www.campbell-lewis.com
The sixth son of Rudolph and Blanche (Eggers) Rodewald, Rev. Rodewald was born on March 1, 1925, at the farm home of his parents near Campbell Hill, Ill. He was baptized on March 15, 1925, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Campbell Hill, and confirmed at the church on April 2, 1939. His confirmation memory verse was John 14:6: Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father except through me.”
Rev. Rodewald was united in marriage with Ruth Hansen on August 12, 1951, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Vallonia, Ind. Their family lived at three Missouri locations where he served as pastor of Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregations: Grace at Lamar, 1953-1965 during which time he also intermittently served Trinity at Nevada; Immanuel at Washington, 1965-1973; and St. Paul’s at Concordia, 1973 until his retirement from the ministry in 1990. Upon retirement, he was named Pastor Emeritus of St. Paul’s Church. He was a 1953 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Ill. and was a student vicar at Outer Drive Faith Lutheran Church, Detroit, Mich., 1951-1952. He was a 1944 graduate of the High School Department of St. Paul’s College at Concordia.
He served in various positions of the LCMS Missouri District, including first vice president, 1978-1982, and third vice president, 1974-1978. He was a board member of Orphan Grain Train (OGT), Norfolk, Neb., and coordinator of the OGT Missouri West Branch, Concordia. He was a U.S. Army veteran, having served in locations in the United States and with occupational troops in Japan after the close of WWII. He was a member of St. Paul’s Men’s Club, Concordia Lions Club, and American Legion Post 0258, Concordia.
In the mid-1980s, Rev. Rodewald and other Lutheran leaders shared visioning with people who provided financial support to keep Saint Paul Lutheran High School from being closed when the College Department closed in 1986.
Rev. Rodewald was mayor of Concordia from 1994 to 1998. As mayor he helped develop the Concordia Community Center and the Concordia Aquatic and Sports Complex. In addition, he met with Greg Hall at the Concordia Bank to determine the possibility of establishing a local 501(c)3 foundation. A foundation was soon established under the title “Concordia Area Community Foundation.” Using the foundation’s potential, Rev. Rodewald, as mayor assisted Dr. and Mrs. Fred Hartwig of Kansas City to establish a $200,000 donor advised endowment fund at the foundation to generate financial earnings to assist the city of Concordia to maintain the community center and sports complex.
Rev. Rodewald is survived by his wife; three sons: Michael and his wife Cindy, and Benjamin, of Concordia, and John and his wife Julie of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; two daughters, Kathryn Oetting and her husband Stan of Concordia, and Christine Small and her husband Tom of San Diego, Calif.; 12 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; nieces; nephews; and five godchildren. He was preceded in death by one grandson, six brothers, and one godchild.
The family’s memorial preference is Lutheran Leadership Education, a 501c3 fund held by Tri Co Community Foundation, to encourage and support LCMS church work students, and which he enthusiastically supported.