Alum News 1967 Lester Fair (SEM) died at age 83 in Hastings, Minn. He was the founder of Haven Homes Health Care Center and the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, both of Hastings. He is survived by wife Marie; children Darlene (Harley) Stauffer, Jerry (Kris), Daneeta Erickson, and Dan (Andrea); eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
1969 In June, the Isanti-Chisago County Star featured Dan Johnson. He became a single father in 1988 to three daughters, then five, seven, and nine, when his wife died from cancer. Now grown, his girls praised him in the article for his fatherly devotion. They are: Jenny Ober ’03, Angie Kuch ’02, and Krista Hoekstra ’01.
1972 Fred Sweet (SEM M.Div. ’72, Th.M. ’73) served as pastor in four states (1973-1999). He is now director of the library at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Mich., where he lives with his wife Marsha.
1974 Nancy (Meyer) Healy retired after a 35-year career in education, most recently as an administrator at Community of Peace Academy, a charter school in St. Paul, Minn. Her husband, Dave Healy ’75, is editor of the Park Bugle, a newspaper serving two St. Paul neighborhoods, as well as Falcon Heights and Lauderdale, Minn.
1975 Marian and Paul Keidel (SEM) are serving in France with the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA). Paul lived a second winter in Russia doing training events for Russian pastors. He’s now involved in setting C&MA strategy for France for the next five years. Terry Olson and his family have embarked on a 22,000-mile trip around the United States in June. Follow their journey: olsonamerica.com.
1976 Cindy (Olseen) Johnson passed away
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in June after an eight-month battle with lung cancer. She is survived by her husband Bob; children Jenny, Ted, and Willy; parents Axel and Shirley Olseen; and her siblings Rick (Bambi) Olseen and Barbara Olseen. Larry Salsburey (SEM) earned a D.Min. from Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., in May. He co-pastors Grace Community Missionary Church and lives in Bad Axe, Mich., with his wife Annette.
1978 Kirsten Malcolm Berry presented her artwork at the Basilica of St. Mary, along with seven other women ar tists. Four are Jewish and f o ur Chr is tian; all work in sacred themes. The show, titled Interpretations of Faith: Women Artists in the Jewish and Christian Traditions, was May 2-June 28. See her work: kirstenmalcolmberry.com. Cheryl Ann Flaherty died of breast cancer at the age of 53 in July. She is survived by her husband Tim; children, Shannon (Jon) Walsh, Sean, Tim (Leah), Brendan, Kelsey, and Kevin; and other family and friends.
1980 Karen (Erickson) DeSchaaf, 51, died of cardiac arrest in March. She is survived by her husband Andrew and their two children, Robert (Stephanie) and Bridget. She is also survived by her mother, Joyce, and five siblings, all of whom attended Bethel. Her father, Willard (deceased in 1991), served on the Bethel board of regents. Kathleen Sears Rochelle is the librarian at a private Christian school and teaches classes to students from pre-K through fifth grade. She and her husband are deacons in their local Baptist church. They live in Hamilton, Va.
1982 Reading the last issue of Focus prompted Michael Quesnell to think about his roommates at Bethel, all of whom ended up in professions that
focus on kingdom work. Dave Finley ’82 spent years in relief work around the world, mainly with World Vision and the Peace Corps. Paul Lindberg ’81 has been working for decades in Europe through various ministries, most recently Agape Europe. Frank Sanza ’82 has been leading a music ministry for years in California and Texas. Quesnell oversees social investments for Nokia.
1986 Steven Norming ton died suddenly in April in Arizona. He’s survived by six brothers, three sisters, and many nieces and nephews.
1987 Mike Bell was elected vice chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party. He lives in Cheyenne with his wife Amy and their son Jonathan, 2. After 14 years as head hockey coach at Osseo Senior High School, Garret Strot has been named head coach of the North Iowa Outlaws, a North American Hockey League team in Mason City, Iowa. After 22 years, the Division III hockey record he set at Bethel for the most consecutive games played (109) was broken in
Red Cross Heroes award in April by the Twin Cities Area Chapter of the American Red Cross at the annual Red Cross Heroes Breakfast. Steve and Sandy are active members of Eagle Brook Church.
February by a senior at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis.
1989 Ana Paulina was born in November to Nydia DeAlba-Johnson and Paul R. Johnson, who live in Mexico City and are directing Latin America Mission’s short-term program, Spearhead. Ana joins Andres, 5.
1990 Doug Beetner married Keri Osborne in her hometown of Sioux City in June 2008. Their son Nathaniel Allen was born in April. They celebrated their first anniversary and first Father’s day on the same day.
1991 Talia Shay and Ty James were born in June to Robert and Relina (Strot) Malone. They were welcomed by their siblings Teagan, 11, Kensie, 7, and James, 4. The Malones live in Minneapolis.
1992 Macy Lee was born in February to Peter and Christy (Brooks) Buxman. She joins Dane, 4. They live in St. Paul.
Upcoming Alumni events The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition hits Minneapolis/St. Paul March 12, 2010, at the Science Museum of Minnesota! Bethel University offers the following corresponding events:
April 2010
8 Lecture and Q&A by Ron Youngblood, professor emeritus of Old Testament at Bethel Seminary San Diego, and Dan Gurtner, assistant professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary St. Paul 7-9 p.m. Benson Great Hall, St. Paul campus 10 Lecture by Ron Youngblood and Dan Gurtner 9-10:30 a.m. Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn. 11 Lecture and Q&A by Ron Youngblood and Dan Gurtner 3-5:30 p.m. Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie, Minn. For more information about these events or to RSVP, call the alumni office at 651.638.6462, or 800.255.8706, ext. 6462, or email alumni@bethel.edu.
1994 Nathan Scott and Matthew Scott were born in April to Scott Gerdes and his wife Becky. They live in Rochester and both work for the Rochester School District, where Scott is the district treasurer and Becky is the principal at Bamber Valley Elementary School. Dan and Gretchen (Merwin) Twogood ’93 and their family traveled to Taiwan to adopt Jack Elliot, born in April. Jack joins siblings Jordan, Grant, Audrey, and Ruth in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Connie Blackwell (CAPS/GS) was featured in an article in The St. Paul Pioneer Press for her involvement in North Metro Pediatrics, a nonprofit pediatric clinic in Coon Rapids, Minn. It is one of the few nurse practitioneroperated pediatric clinics in the Twin Cities area and the only one in Anoka County that has a sliding-scale fee based on federal poverty level and family-income guidelines.
Picture of Recovery
After 35 years, some of the women of Townhouse F5 (1973-1974) got together for a reunion. In the photo: Terri Magnuson Rinke ’77, of Ellsworth, Wis., a veterinarian and mother of three; Marci Wilson Parsons ’77 of Northridge, Calif., a retired homeschooler, Latin teacher, and mother of three; Debra Calain Bestland ’77 of Buffalo, Minn., a retired homeschooler, dance instructor, and mother of four; Judy Helman ’75, of Vail, Colo., a financial executive and executive assistant to a Christian recording artist; Diane Doebler Engelstadt ’77, of Pine City, Minn., a junior high school English teacher; and Sherry Schut Yoder ’78, who teaches English at a Beijing University. Cummings ’94, Patrick (Brian) Cummings ’94, Holly (Smith) Speratos ’95, Jason Speratos ’94, Martha Hultgren, Steve Hultgren ’94. Front row: Jason Coulter ’94, Ann (Nelson) Pearcy ’93, Scott Pearcy ’94, Kris (Reynhout) Kieper ’94, (William) Chad Kieper ’94, Courtney Barker, Nathan Barker ’94.
1993 In May 2008, when a tornado struck Hugo, Minn., Steve and Sandy Anderson CAPS’08 watched as many of their neighbors lost everything. They were lucky enough to be spared, and immediately opened up their home to help their friends in need. Their front yard, driveway, and garage became a refuge and supply center, giving those who were hit by the tornado access to basic necessities and a shoulder to lean on. As a result, they were awarded the
Roommate Reunion
Chad Kieper married Kris Reynhout in September 2008 in Stillwater, Minn. Pastor Trent Anderson ’95 of Eagle Brook Church performed the ceremony. Kris is the daughter of Bethel Biology Professor Emeritus Jim Reynhout and his wife Pat ’95. Chad is the son of Bill and Mae Kieper S’94. Back row: Heather (Heinsch) Flies ’94, Chad Flies, Stacey (Schirm)
After Lynn Hansen C’70, S’02 and his wife were victims of an attempted carjacking in Kenya in 1998, he painted, And Then the Phone Rang. “I visualized a woman who has been up worrying about someone she loves and then she hears the phone ring,” explains Hansen. “I hope it helps with viewers’ fears as much as it has helped with mine.” In May, the painting was selected for the Art of Recovery exhibit, sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Another of Hansen’s paintings, Shining Pots, hangs in the main hallway at Bethel Seminary St. Paul. In addition to painting, he does photography, street theater, freelance graphic art, and mission work. “Virtually everything I
Rudi Harlan was born in July to Douglas ’95 and Lauralyn (Gorham) Ninow. Rudi joins Anna, 2. They live in St. Louis Park, Minn.
1995 Trevin Peter and Logan Thomas were b orn in March to Jason and Sarah (Stack) Opp. They join Hudson, 5, and Ade-
lyn, 3. Sarah is at home with their children as well as being a Close to My Heart consultant. Jason is a commercial real estate agent and accounting manager. Riley was born in March in Yaoundé, Cameron, to EfiWalters and Mindy (Lamberty) Tembon. She joins Wesley, 1. The Tembons serve in Cameroon with Wycliffe Bible Translators.
1996 Jennifer and John Dahlager (SEM) are serving as missionaries in Costa Rica. In August they took a team to Cuba to lead a Pastors’ Kids retreat. For the next 10 years, they will participate in
have done in my life since college has been connected in one way or another to people I know and things I have learned from, or associated with, Bethel,” he explains. In 1993, at the suggestion of a Bethel friend, he and his wife moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he taught art at Rosslyn Academy, an international Christian school. His wife JoAnn served as the school’s business manager. They returned in 1998 so Lynn could attend Bethel Seminary St. Paul. He now pastors First Baptist Church of Battle Lake, Minn., and is also the director of the North American Committee for the Development of Good News Theological College & Seminary in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. No matter what he does, Hansen says he will always be committed to faith and art. “Faith is simply knowing something is true like you know anything else you know for sure,” he explains. “So, my work reflects my life of faith, making visible the deep heart of knowing and yearning to know God more intimately.” See his work at lynnkhansen.com. Bethel University
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