David G Hernes

Rev. David G. Hernes
Funeral services for Pastor David G. Hernes, age 78, of Albert Lea will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, May 4, 2015 at Grace Lutheran Church. Rev. Matt Griggs will officiate. Interment will be in Our Savior’s Cemetery, Calamus,  Iowa, at a later date. Visitation will be from 3-7:00 p.m. Sunday, May 3, 2015 at the Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday.
David died on Monday, April 27, 2015 at his home in Albert Lea.
David Gene Hernes, son of Alfred and Gladys (Kloster) Hernes was born on October 6, 1936 at Naples, SD. He was brought to the Lord Jesus as an infant, by his parents. As a young man he accepted and claimed that relationship as the foundation for his life. He was deeply grateful for the Christian faith and the example of his parents.
In 1945 the family moved to Canton, SD where David grew up. His high school education was at Augustana Academy in Canton. After high school David graduated from the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis in 1956, Augustana College in Sioux Falls in 1960, and Luther Seminary in St. Paul in 1964.
On September 5, 1964 David was united in marriage to Arla Mae Olson, at Calamus, Iowa. Together, they served the following parishes: Sinai and Lake Campbell Lutheran Churches at Sinai and Volga, SD, 1964-1970; Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Redwood Falls, MN 1971-1977; and Glenville First Lutheran, Glenville, MN 1977-1996. After leaving Glenville David served as a chaplain for Mayo in Rochester for one year, served 9 months as a missionary English teacher in Namibia, Africa, and 3 months as an English teacher for a Medical Mission in Bangladesh. In 1999 he began serving East Freeborn Lutheran Church of rural Albert Lea and served there until his retirement from parish ministry.  He has been an active member of the Salvation Army Corps Council and Men’s Club president from 2007 to the present.  A meaningful part of his ministry was his service as a part-time chaplain at Fountain Centers in Albert Lea. He also found satisfaction in his involvement in Charis, a ministry to prisons in Minnesota.
David was deeply grateful for his parents, his brothers and their families, and his children – for their love and encouragement and support. He was grateful for Arla Mae, for her loving and self-giving partnership in their life and work. He was grateful for the support and goodwill which he enjoyed in the parishes and communities where he lived and worked. And, he was grateful to his Heavenly Father, and his Savior, Jesus, the Christ.
He was preceded in death by his mother in 1982, his father in 1991, and his beloved wife Arla Mae on January 12, 1994, and several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.
David leaves to give thanks for his life, to grieve his death, and to hope in the Resurrection his children Gina (Don) Hernes, Mark (Michelle) Hernes, Ruth Hernes, Naomi (Tony) DeLorenzo, Sara (Jeff) McGrath; grandchildren Tiffany, Justin, Joshua, Fellen, Jeremy, Anna, Ben, Ellie, Katelin, Alyse, Danny, Matty, and Zander; 14 great-grandchildren; siblings Leslie (Wanda) Hernes, Arvin Hernes, Joel (Sonja) Hernes, Selmer (Jan) Hernes, Paul Hernes, and Burnett (Cheryl) Hernes; and many nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law.
In lieu of flowers memorials are preferred to one of Dave’s favorite organizations: the ARC of Freeborn County, the American Cancer Society, the Mayo Clinic Health System Hospice, or to the donor’s choice.