November 7, 1935 - November 27, 2025
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Pastor Fred Storteboom crossed from this life into Glory on Thanksgiving Day, 2025, at Raleigh Hills Assisted Living, Portland, Oregon.
Fred was born on November 7, 1935, to Martin and Jenny (Triezenberg) Storteboom in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he grew up. Shortly after graduating from high school, he left for Alaska where his experiences included gold dredging, raising, training, and racing sled dogs, homesteading, and marrying the love of his life, Virginia (Gini) Lee on May 27, 1963. Gini came into the marriage with a daughter, Charlotte, and Nancy was born to them in May of 1964 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They stayed there only briefly before returning to Alaska where Fred worked for the Alaska Railroad until called into the ministry in 1968. The adventure took the family to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he graduated in 1971 and on to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. He completed his Master of Divinity in 1975. Fred served churches in Anchorage, Alaska; Denver, Colorado; Lewiston and Grangeville, Idaho; and Rogue River and Sheridan, Oregon. He served at Trinity until Gini’s passing in July of 2009. He then “retired”; though as many pastors do, he went on to minister at St. John’s in Seaview, Washington, from 2010 until he was physically unable to continue in 2017. He moved to Oregon, where his daughter Nancy could help with his care, living in Willamette Lutheran Retirement Home for several years and then Raleigh Hills Assisted Living.
Fred greatly enjoyed walks, the beach, his pets, and his family. He was preceded in death by his brother John, who died serving his country in WW II, his sister Ida Loedeman, and his wife Gini. He is survived by his daughters Charlotte Wiseman and Nancy Storteboom, 7 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Sheridan, Oregon, on Saturday, December 13 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorials be given to Lutheran World Relief or your local food bank or homeless shelter. ***************************************************************
