Alden James Beversdorf, 70, of Merrill, passed away unexpectedly on May 24.
He was born on March 25, 1942, in Shawano, Wisconsin, the son of Ervin and Agnes (Burmeister) Beversdorf. He married Sharon Kay Eggert on November 25, 1967, in Fargo, North Dakota. Alden, or Pastor Al as he was known to many, served St. John Lutheran Church in Merrill for over 25 years, and was an active community member. Most recently, he was the vacancy pastor for Luther Memorial in Gleason and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pine River. He also served for 20 years on the Merrill City Planning Commission, had been the announcer for the annual Merrill High School Band Competition at Jay Stadium since 1985, was frequently the on-call chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital, and was recently appointed to the Good Samaritan Hospital Board of Directors.
Prior to working in Merrill, Pastor Al served at Bethel Lutheran Church in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bethel was a small, inner-city congregation in a high poverty and crime-ridden area with a multitude of socio-economic problems. He also traveled the country as a mover for North American Van Lines, hand-stacked bowling pins, and clerked at Kroger. Alden earned a Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary in 1968 and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans in 1979. Alden enjoyed writing, reading, picking strawberries, animatedly telling stories, moving his children to and from residences, and being with his grandchildren.
Alden is survived by his wife, Sharon; three children, Sarah (Anne) Beversdorf of Amherst, Julie (Trevor) Krizan of Merrill, and Jamie Beversdorf of Teaneck, New Jersey (formerly of Merrill); three grandchildren, Nicholas Beversdorf, Revyn Abbott-Beversdorf and Shayden Abbott-Beversdorf; two sisters, Audrey (David, deceased) Beversdorf James of Chicago, Illinois; Cheryl (Dennis) Beversdorf of Arlington, VA. He was preceded in death by his parents. In addition, he kept close in his heart his community of friends, extended family, and all those he counseled, confirmed, coached, and cared for throughout his 45+ years of ministry. For the sake of his family, he tolerated many cats over the years. In time, he came to love one particular cat named Sparky, who will sorely miss his belly rubs.
Funeral services will be held at St. John Lutheran Church in Merrill at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 30. Pastor David Szeto will be officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday, May 29, from 4:00-8:00 p.m. and on Wednesday, May 30, after 9:00 a.m. Both visitations will be at St. John in Merrill. Online condolences may be made at www.taylorstinefuneralhome.com.