Robert Charles Van Norstrand

Robert Charles Van Norstrand was born on November 3rd, 1922 in the city of Sayre, Pennsylvania to Charles and Helen Van Norstrand. He moved to Medina, New York where he grew up and attended high school and later went to college at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where his fellow students called him “Van” – a nickname he used for the rest of his life. Van’s college days were interrupted by World War II and initially he served as an enlisted man in the Army Air Corps stationed in India. Subsequently, he volunteered for Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, although the war in both Europe and the Far East ended before he was deployed. Van went back to college at Ann Arbor and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. He relocated to Arizona where he met his wife, June, who at that time was a company nurse where he was a manager. Later they moved to Southern California, to continue a successful career in Personnel Administration in the electronics industry. In 1966 Van felt called to become a Lutheran pastor and the family moved to Mankato, MN where he attended Bethany Lutheran College for pre-seminary classes, later graduating from the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wisconsin in 1972. After his ordination, Van “specialized” in getting young mission churches up and running and self-sufficient, pastoring churches in Friendswood and Temple, Texas and Yucaipa, California. With love, determination, and the grace of the Holy Spirit, Van guided his churches onto a solid spiritual footing. For several years following his parish ministry he served as a financial administrator and counselor at Synodical headquarters in Milwaukee, helping churches attain a solid financial footing. In this work he was able to blend his pastoral skills with his experience in the business world for the benefit of growing churches. After 25 years in the ministry, Van and his wife, June, retired and moved to Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, where for a time he served again as an interim pastor before completely retiring from the ministry. Van continued to be active in his church attending services, bible studies and conferences. He was loved by many for his encouraging spirit and good sense of humor. He also returned to his love of pencil sketching portraits of family members and public figures, finishing 50 portraits! June went to be with the Lord in 2007 and finally, as a veteran prayer warrior who spoke to God on behalf of family, friends and acquaintances for many years, Van went to join his wife and live with the Lord Jesus for all eternity on Saturday, May 23, 2020 at the age of 97. He is survived by his son Steven and his wife, Diane; his son Michael and his wife, Jane; and his son David and his wife Lynn. Van was also blessed with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was much loved by his family who looked up to him as a model of Christian humility, love and perseverance. Van’s memorial service will take place on July 31 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1500 Sand Lake Rd., Holmen, WI @ 10:00 am. Memorial gifts may be directed to the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Scholarship Fund.