Clear, 33° F
(Sept. 27, 2003)
Funeral services will be conducted Friday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Powell for the Rev. Larry A. Veland, 55, who died Saturday, Sept. 27 while working in his garden.
Pastor Veland was born March 19, 1948, in Aberdeen, S.D., to Ernest W. Veland and Mary C. (Steinwald) Veland. He was baptized into the Christian faith on May 30, 1948, at Christ Lutheran Church - Albion Township, near Elldendale, N.D.
He confirmed his baptismal vows on May 20, 1962, at Zion Lutheran Church in Alamo, Texas.
He married Joyce L. Jamison Beuster on March 27, 1976. He had one daughter, Leah Marie, and three step-children whom he considered his own: Teri Stoppel, Susan Forrest and Kirk Beuster.
His early childhood was spent on his parents' North Dakota farm where he attended school at Albion Township School. He spent part of his high school years in Weslaco, Texas, but graduated from Ellendale High School in 1966. He attended the University of North Dakota at Ellendale, later transferring to Concordia Teachers College in Seward, Nebr., where he earned his B.S. degree in 1970 and his Master's degree in 1979.
He taught second grade and served as Director of Christian Education at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas, from 1970 to 1972. He spent a short year in the business world as a cost accountant for Van Waters Rogers in Houston, Texas.
In 1973, he moved to Omaha, Neb., where he served one year as Director of Christian Education at Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church (now ELCA). From there, he moved to Lincoln, Neb., where he was Director of Christian Education at Trinity Lutheran Church from 1974 to 1978.
He served as campus pastor at Northern State College in Aberdeen, S.D., from 1978 to 1982. In 1982, he moved to St. Louis, Mo., to complete the LCMS colloquy program for future pastors.
He was placed as a vicar at St. Paul's Lutheran, Plankinton, S.D., and Trinity Lutheran, White Lake, S.D., and was subsequently called by those two congregations to serve as their full-time pastor. He was ordained July 29, 1984, and served the two South Dakota congregations until November of 1986 when he accepted the call to be pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Truman, Minn. He served that congregation until October of 1997 when he accepted the call to be pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Powell, where he served until his death.
He served on various boards and committees in the South Dakota District and the Minnesota South District. In Wyoming, he was the district coordinator for the Tell the Good News About Jesus program of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and also served on the board of directors as the Evangelism Coordinator. He chaired two successful evangelism convocations for the Wyoming District - LCMS and was working on a third at the time of his death.
His main mission in life was preaching the Word of God and witnessing to others of God's great glory. His strongest desire was that all come to know the saving grace of our Lord Jesus. He focused his ministry on Christian education and evangelism. The past few years he wrote and broadcast Sunday sermons on KPOW in Powell. He was a well-known pastor in the Powell community whose personality reflected the joy he had in life.
Survivors include his wife Joyce of Powell; daughters Leah Marie of the family home, Teri Stoppel of Lincoln, Neb., and Susan Forrest (Gary) of Allen, Texas; son Kirk Beuster (Carrie) of Powell; parents Ernest and Mary Veland of Ellendale, N.D.; brother LeeRoy Veland (Robin) of Weslaco, Texas; and grandchildren, Pfc. Jeremiah Stoppel, Joe Stoppel, Krista Handy, Cody Forrest, Amber Forrest, Ashley Beuster, Jacob Beuster and Nathaniel Beuster; as well as numerous relatives and friends who love him and will miss him.
Although Pastor Veland loved flowers, he thought memorials a more appropriate way to express one's grief. Therefore, the family requests memorials be sent to Immanuel Lutheran Church, the American Heart Association, the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation or a charity of one's choice.
Arrangements are by Miratsky-Easton Funeral Home.
