Rev. W. Leroy Biesenthal

He married Marie Archibald in 1948, and their marriage was blessed with two children, Kim (Don) Markland of Houston TX, and Bruce (Karen) Biesenthal of St. Louis; four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Also surviving is one sister, Myra (Don) Arnold, of Port Colborne, Ontario. Marie and one granddaughter, Mackenzie, preceded him in death.

He attended high school in Hamilton, Ontario, and graduated from Concordia College, Fort Wayne, IN in 1944. He was awarded an M.Div degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO in 1948, and later received a Litt. D. from Concordia College, St. Paul, MN.

His parish experience began with his seminary assignment to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Dearborn, MI, where he served as Assistant Pastor for two years. He accepted a Call to start a mission congregation in a southern suburb of Detroit in 1950. The congregation, Christ the King, flourished under his leadership, and in 1960, he accepted a Call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Utica, MI.

During his years in Michigan he served in countless District and Synodical positions, including the Board of Control of Concordia Senior College, Ft. Wayne, IN, and the LCMS Project Timothy Pilot Team, working for a short period in the Philippines. He was also very engaged in the community, serving as President of the Rotary, and as chaplain to the Fire Department.

In 1969 he accepted a Call to the Missouri District of the LCMS, serving as Director of Stewardship and Evangelism. In 1979, he was Called to the LCMS, serving as Director of District Services. He retired in 1990.

Following his retirement, Rev. Biesenthal served on the staff of Concordia Lutheran Church, Kirkwood, MO, and Hope Lutheran Church, Pompano Beach, FL. He also served as Director of the LCMS Great Commission Convocation in 1997.

He is the creator of several workshops, including Dialog Evangelism and Witness Workshop, which focused on teaching Christians to effectively share their faith. He taught Evangelism clinics throughout the United States; as well as the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, England, Wales, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Russia.

Rev. Biesenthal was in high demand as a speaker, serving as Convention Keynoter for both the LLL and LWML. He authored many articles for publication through various synodical periodicals, such as Portals of Prayer, the LWML Quarterly and The Lutheran Witness. For 20 years he was Dean and Lecturer for youth and adults at Camp Pioneer in Angola, New York, and for eight years served as Dean for Senior Adults at Camp Arcadia in Arcadia, Michigan.

Rev. Biesenthal was an avid Cardinals fan, and looked forward to the baseball season and the pleasure it brought. He was a voracious reader, with an eclectic taste in reading material. He loved his Lord, his family, the Church, and people of every sort.

A service dedicated to the glory of God, in memory of Rev. Biesenthal, will be held at Concordia Lutheran Church, 505 S Kirkwood Rd., Kirkwood, Missouri 63122 at 11 am on Tuesday, September 8. Interment Private. Memorials may be given to the Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) Hospice Care, 1150 Hanley Industrial Drive, St Louis, Missouri 63144.