Louis H. Wollenberg

The Rev. Louis H. (Lou) Wollenberg died Friday morning, January 24, 2014 in Washington, Iowa. Celebration of life services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday February 1, 2014 at the Coates Street Presbyterian Church in Moberly, Missouri. The family will receive friends at 10 AM and again following the service during an informal reception at the church. Memorial gifts may be given to Missouri Valley College of Marshall. Lou was born on June 7, 1930 in Buffalo, New York, the son of Louis J. and Sylvia Wollenberg. He graduated from Amherst Central High School and went on to earn a B.A. from the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH. Lou joined the army in 1952 and was sent to Germany to serve in the Counter-Intelligence Corps. After returning home he became a Pharmaceutical Salesman for Lederle Laboratories in the Buffalo area. Lou married Lou Etta Phillips in 1955 and they enjoyed being known as “Mr. and Mrs. Lou” for 58 years. There’s an old church school song called, “I Love to Tell the Story.” More than anything else, Lou loved telling stories, especially the ones about, “...Jesus and his love.” In 1964, he wanted to tell the story of Jesus full-time, so he enrolled at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and after graduating, became an ordained Presbyterian pastor. The two churches where he served the longest were First Presbyterian Church in Ottumwa, Iowa and Broadway Presbyterian Church in Sedalia, Missouri. He also served congregations for various lengths of time in: LaPlata, Chillicothe, Trenton, Hannibal, Ozark Beach, Moberly, Macon, Kirksville, and Louisiana. Lou had a passion for “telling the story” to young people. He spent many years leading summer church camps for young people and in Ottumwa helped create a large and vibrant High School youth ministry called, “The Group.” Lou often lent his gifts of common sense and good-natured wisdom to various ministries of the Presbyterian Church. He served on Regional Synod committees, once serving as moderator of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies. Lou brought fun and passion to his preaching. Sermons were often occasions for joyful surprises and were always peppered with personal stories of God’s love at work in the world. Lou was a man about whom the aphorism was true, “He never met a stranger.” With a disarming ability to form lasting connections with someone he just met, Lou often ended up discussing life’s deeper issues with the owner of a Bed and Breakfast where he was spending the night or with a waitress who was serving him at a local diner. He was gregarious, charismatic, relentlessly cheerful and always preferred a hug to a handshake. When he was young, and again later on in life, Lou occasionally took the stage as a magician, usually to entertain the young and the young at heart. In his quieter moments he collected stamps, played golf and puttered around with an ever-evolving model railroad layout. For most of his adult life he was a Rotarian and was a past President of his club. He is a Trustee Emeriti at Missouri Valley College where he served on the board for many years. Lou is survived by his wife, Lou, of Moberly, Missouri; son Mark Wollenberg and wife Jaci of Crawfordsville, Indiana; son Bob Wollenberg and wife Jean of Washington, Iowa; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; brother Allen Wollenberg and wife Judy of St. Augustine, Florida; sister-in-law Shirley Wollenberg of Syracuse, New York; and brother-in-law John Phillips of Monongahela, Pennsylvania. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Paul Wollenberg.

Louis H. Wollenberg

June 7, 1930 - January 24, 2014