Stanley Morris Ostgren

Stanley M. Ostgren, 84 of Fairbury, NE was born to Morris Fred & Lucille (Burger) Ostgren on September 10, 1935 at Holdrege, NE and departed this life on October 27, 2019.
He spent his early years on a farm near Loomis, NE where he attended country school and school in Loomis. After moving to Jansen, NE with his parents in 1950, he graduated from High School at Fairbury in 1953. He was instructed in the Christian faith, brought to faith in Christ as his Savior, and baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Jansen in November 1952.
It was here that he met and married the second-most important person he ever came to know (the most important being Jesus), classmate Maralyn Krause – a genuine blessing from God. They were married on August 15, 1953 (66 years). Shortly thereafter he was inducted into the United States Army and served in a Combat Engineer Battalion in Korea. After discharge he worked for a time at McDonnell Aircraft Corp, in St. Louis and then returned to Nebraska in 1960 where he took employment with Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Co. as a construction lineman, cable splicer and installer. He left the telephone company in 1964 to prepare for full-time ministry as a Lay Minister, attending Concordia College in Milwaukee, WI. After graduating in 1966, he served Grace Lutheran Church in Burton, NE and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Jamison, NE before taking a position in 1973 with the Nebraska District of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod as Missionary-at-Large to sparsely settled areas in the Sandhills of Nebraska, serving at Thedford, Arnold & Merriman. He held this position until 1986 when he accepted a call to serve Zion Lutheran Church in Argonia, KS. While at Argonia he completed his colloquy with Concordia Seminary at St. Louis and was ordained in 1993. He remained at Zion in Argonia until he retired from full-time ministry in December 1997. After retiring from Zion Argonia, he served as part-time assistant to the pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran in Cheney, KS for 2 years. He was also vacancy pastor for a time at Trinity Lutheran, Medicine Lodge, KS until he and Maralyn moved back to Fairbury in July of 2002. After returning to Nebraska he served Trinity Lutheran – Jansen as vacancy pastor from February 2006 until 2014.
Stanley was preceded in death by his parents, daughter in law Mary Ostgren, and son in law Hain Manning.
Left to mourn his passing are wife Maralyn of Fairbury, son Michael of Derby, KS, daughter Becky Manning of North Platte, son Mark (Debbie), son Brent both of Wichita, KS, 8 grandchildren Jordan Ostgren of Colorado Springs, CO, Clayton (Tiffany) Manning of North Platte, NE, Sara (Jeremy) Brooke, Aaron Manning, Matthew (Kelly) Manning all of Lincoln, NE, Russell (Blair) Flinn of Austin, TX, Alisha (Kenny) Doan of Wichita, KS, Eric Ostgren of Schoefield Barracks, HI and 11 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by sisters in law, Mildred Brott and Sally Krause, nieces, nephews and a host of friends.
Services will be Friday, November 1, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Fairbury. The family will greet friends Thursday evening from 6 to 8 at the Funeral Home. Burial will be in Cub Creek Cemetery North of Jansen. In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established to LCMS Mission Central, Mapleton, IA. Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. www.gerdesmeyerfh.com