Rev. Lloyd Gustav Uecker Obituary (1919

Lloyd Gustav Uecker died Sunday, December 30, 2012, at the age of 93. Mr. Uecker was born April 29, 1919, on a farm near Norfolk, NE. His parents were Rudolph and Martha (Jahn) Uecker. He attended grade school in a one-room country school house. Before that, he spoke only German. He attended high school away from home at Doctor Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN, graduating in 1936. That summer, he moved to California to find work. After jobs ranging from ditch digger to bar tender, he secured work building military aircraft at Consolidated Vaultee in San Diego, remaining there through the War. During that time, he studied for the ministry. After the War, Lloyd was appointed pastor of the First United Brethren Church in Spokane, where he graduated from Whitworth College. In 1948, he was appointed to the Englewood Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) church in Salem where he met and married his wife, Mary Jo (Hall) Uecker in 1952 and where their two sons were born. The family moved to Portland in 1963. There, Lloyd merged three small EUB congregations, dedicating the new Tabor Heights Church in 1967. In 1978, Lloyd and Mary Jo moved to Medford, where Lloyd served the First United Methodist Church (UMC). In 1981, they relocated to Forest Grove, where he retired from the First UMC in 1986. Highlighting Lloyd's retirement was the decade he organized the annual Forest Grove Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, hosting various nationally-known speakers. During his career, Lloyd participated in three overseas ministries. In 1962 he established a mission church in the village of Yufuin, Japan. He took part in a pulpit exchange in Plymouth, England, in 1973. And, in 1977, he was a Methodist Conference speaker in Gujarat, India. Last October, Rev. and Mrs. Uecker celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Lloyd Uecker had a contagious enthusiasm for life and ministry which will be truly missed. He is survived by his wife; his sons, Jeffry (Cindy) of Hillsboro and Joel of Gresham; two granddaughters, Maren of New York City and Heidi of Hillsboro; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Reuben, Edgar, Victor, and Leo, and sister Irene. A memorial will be held Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 2 PM at the Tabor Heights United Methodist Church; 6161 Southeast Stark Street, Portland, OR 97215 The family suggests memorial gifts be directed to the Forest Grove Rotary or the United Methodist Church Global Ministries.