Gordon Neuberger

Reverend Gordon G. Neuberger Pastor G.G., 81, Bismarck, died June 22, 2009, at Medcenter One St. Vincent’s Care Center, Bismarck. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Bismarck, with Rev. Robert Lynne and Pastor Craig Schweitzer officiating. Burial will be held at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Medcenter One St. Vincent’s Care Center, Bismarck, and will continue from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Thursday at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a prayer service will begin at 7:00 p.m.. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Gordon was born August 10, 1927, in Krem, ND, on his parents’ farm 22 miles north of Hazen the son of August and Lydia Boepple Neuberger. He graduated from Beulah High School in 1945. Gordon went on to attend Wartburg College in Waverly, IA, and graduated with a B.A. degree in 1948. He married Erma Krausz on June 19, 1949, in Beulah, ND He attended Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, IA, from 1948-1953. During that time he served a two-year internship at the Rush Lake, Saskatchewan parish in Canada. Located in western Saskatchewan, the parish was a “little kingdom” consisting of four congregations and three preaching stations. The parish was 105 miles in length and 40 miles wide. His supervisor, and nearest neighbor was at Moose Jaw, 104 miles to the east. He graduated from Wartburg Theological Seminary in 1953 and was ordained on June 14, 1953, at Zion Lutheran Church in Beulah. He accepted a call to his first parish at Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan, which consisted of three congregations, the furthest being 55 miles northwest of Yellow Grass. After serving Yellow Grass from 1953 until 1958, he accepted a call to Immanuel Lutheran Church, New Leipzig, ND, during which time a new church was built. After serving Immanuel Lutheran from 1958-1965, Gordon accepted a call to St. Luke Lutheran in Wishek, ND, where he served from April 1, 1965, until April 1, 1979. He accepted a call to Zion Lutheran Church in Mohall, ND, where he served from September 1, 1979, until August 1, 1988. He accepted a call to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Center, ND, where he began serving September 1, 1988. Retiring in 1994 and moving to Bismarck, Gordon served as visitation pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for several years. Pastor G. G. was registered nationally as an Emergency Medical Technician and with the state of North Dakota as an Emergency Care Technician – Ambulance squad for 5 years. He drove school bus for 10 years and was an active member of the Lions Club for many years. When he wasn’t working crossword puzzles or reading, he could often be seen smoking his pipe filled with black cherry pipe tobacco or driving his 1927 Whippet antique car in local area parades. He enjoyed buying and selling vehicles frequently and it was not uncommon to see him driving a new car with a “For Sale” sign in the window. Always dressed in a sport coat or suit with a white shirt, he had a wide selection of ties that were often bright in color or interesting in design and he was always a favorite of those who enjoyed a tootsie roll because it was seldom that he would go anywhere without several to hand out and a joke or two to tell at the same time. Gordon is survived by his wife, Erma, Bismarck; his two sons, Wayne Neuberger, Atlanta, GA, and James Neuberger, Bismarck; his sister, Lucille Kessler, Bismarck; his brother, Elmer Neuberger, Beulah; his grandchildren, Garrett Neuberger and Brooke Auston-Williams Lance, and his great grandchild, Tatym Auston-Williams. He was preceded in death by his parents; and his sister, Elaine Goetz. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Western ND Synod Ministry Trust Fund.

Gordon Neuberger

August 10, 1927 - June 22, 2009