Gary Dale Dehnke

Gary Dale Dehnke was called home to be with his Lord on December 27, 2024. Gary was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on October 7, 1943, to Adolph and Lilly (nee Honadel) Dehnke, the youngest of eight children with six sisters and one brother. He was baptized on November 7, 1943, and confirmed in 1957 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Augusta, Wisconsin. Growing up on a dairy farm provided both discipline and freedom and he kept busy with chores in the morning and mischief in the afternoons. At fifteen, Gary’s family moved from the farm to Fall Creek, Wisconsin, where he graduated from Fall Creek High School as Salutatorian of his class in 1960 at age 16.

Following high school graduation, Gary attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for two years and then worked at American Motors until he reached the age when he could follow God’s call to serve the church and study at the Lay Training Institute at Concordia College in Milwaukee. During those years, Gary completed field work at three different churches in Milwaukee and Racine. Upon graduation in 1966, he left the great state of Wisconsin, “God’s country,” to serve as Lay Assistant at Ascension Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri. It was here that Gary met Christine “Chris” Poynter, who was completing her year-long teaching internship at Ascension Lutheran School. Their mutual competitive natures were bonded playing hangman on Chris’s classroom chalkboard. They were married at Ascension on June 19, 1971.

Gary’s evolving career in the ministry took them to three different states in eight years. In 1976, with one child in tow, the growing family moved to Santa Rosa, California, where Gary served as Assistant to the Pastor for five years at St. Luke’s. Gary and Chris had three more children before Gary felt God calling him toward preaching and leading his own congregation. He enrolled in Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1981 where, motivated by the needs of a growing family, he somehow completed three years of academic study in only two years. Gary received his vicarage assignment to Trinity Lutheran church in Algona, Iowa in 1983. The congregation liked him well enough to call him as pastor without delay, and Gary was ordained and installed at Trinity in 1984, his first congregation as a pastor. In Algona, Gary embraced small town life once again. He filled summers with “teaching” his sons to detassel in cornfields and more than once participating in BRAK: Bike Ride Across Kossuth and RAGBRAI: Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. He played racquetball with congregation members and regularly accepted gifts of produce from friends’ farms and gardens.

In October 1990, Gary received a call to return to St. Louis as pastor at St. Johns Lutheran Church. While it was difficult to leave their community in Iowa, Gary, Chris, and family were welcomed by many old friends, and the city full of Lutheran schools offered many teaching opportunities for Chris. Gary served as pastor of St. Johns until his (first) retirement in June 2009. By then, Gary had performed 194 weddings, confirmed 388 confirmands, and baptized 458 infants, children, and adults, including the weddings of two of his children and baptisms of most of his children and grandchildren.

Retirement provided more opportunity to travel, and Gary and Chris visited their kids and grandkids as often as possible, but after a couple of years, it was not often enough. They moved in 2011 to Grayson, Georgia, to be near their five grandsons living in the Atlanta area. Gary’s only reservation about the move was a fear of not having opportunities to preach. Boy, did God have other plans for him! Little did he know how in-demand a retired Lutheran pastor would be in Metro Atlanta. Gary served many congregations all around the Atlanta area, including two long-term, year-plus interim positions at Grace in Midtown and Oak Road in Lilburn, where he then celebrated his second and third retirements.

In addition to his ministry in various congregations, Gary served as Circuit Counselor in Iowa, St. Louis, and the Florida-Georgia districts. He was a member of the Board of Evangelism and Board for Missions of the Missouri District. He served as the Community Spiritual Director of Show Me Lutheran Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) and Spiritual Director for many TEC retreats. Gary was a member of the Lutheran High School Association Board in St. Louis and served as vice-chairman of the Partners in Urban Ministry Board. He taught Bible study with Stepping Stone Ministries in the Atlanta area and served on the board. Gary volunteered weekly at the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry in Grayson, Georgia, speaking with clients to match services with their needs.

Gary was a lifelong Packers fan and considered himself an ambassador for Green Bay after leaving Wisconsin, often wearing green and yellow from head to toe on gameday, striking up conversations with strangers to seek out other Packer-Backers, and he found many! He attended as many games as he could, including a few at Lambeau Field, which he thought of as holy ground. Gary was a diehard fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, an affinity that began during his time at Ascension. He raised diehard Cardinals fans in his children and enjoyed an unusual perk of his clerical collar – a clergy pass to Busch Stadium. For many years, Gary and a guest (often one of his children) attended games courtesy of the St. Louis Cardinals organization, usually in assigned seats but sometimes in standing-room-only. He sat through rain delays and heat, and his kids remember many long, rich conversations about sports and life that these occasions afforded.

Gary also greatly valued his family back home, traveling to Fall Creek on the Fourth of July for many reunions, in addition to frequent trips for weddings, funerals, and anniversaries for his siblings, cousins, nephews, and nieces. Playing cards was one of his favorite pastimes during those trips. He kept in touch with family in between visits, making a point to call at least one sibling once a week to catch up.

Gary surprised everyone when, at age 53, he decided to fulfill a bucket list item by jumping out of an airplane. With seemingly no provocation, he enrolled himself in skydiving school in June 1997, and was hooked after that first jump. He completed jumps whenever his schedule allowed throughout his time in St. Louis.

After his relationship with Jesus, family was most important to Gary. He delighted in his children and grandchildren. He babysat his grandsons when they were little, playing games with them and taking them to the pool, the library, and Lowe’s. They loved helping Grandpa with projects. Gary loved to attend holiday programs, concerts, sporting events, and award ceremonies for his grandsons. He was their biggest fan, celebrating their efforts and achievements, listening to their stories, and always laughing at their silly jokes.

Gary will be remembered by his family, friends, and members of his many congregations as a good husband, a loving father, a faithful friend, and a humble servant of the Lord. He was as well-suited to his profession as anyone could be. Gary loved to serve, evidenced by his desire to continue preaching and teaching God’s Word long past retirement, having taught his last Bible study class just five days before his passing. His relatable stories and unassuming nature broke down barriers and drew people not only to him, but to Christ.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Adolph and Lilly Dehnke and sisters Dolores Jungerberg and Phyllis Zimmerman. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Chris Dehnke, sons Nathan Dehnke, Ben (Stacy) Dehnke, Josh (Kevin) Dehnke, daughter Liz (Chris) Carter, grandsons Carter, Grant, and Isaac Dehnke and Lucas and Jonah Carter, as well as brother Gordon (Joyce) Dehnke, sisters Millie Polinske, Marge Shong, Vivian Tumm, and Donna (Ron) Steinke, and many cousins, nephews, and nieces.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Saint Mark Lutheran Church, 2110 Brockett Road, Tucker, GA 30084. A family interment will take place in Fall Creek, Wisconsin at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gary’s memory to the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry: https://segwinnettcoop.org/donate/ (P.O. Box 1521, Snellville, GA 30078), Stepping Stone Ministries: https://steppingstonemission.net/get-involved (P.O. Box 3101, Duluth, GA 30096), or Saint Mark Lutheran Church: https://stmarklutheranchurch.wixsite.com/website/get-involved (2110 Brockett Road, Tucker, GA 30084).