Obituaries : Robert Frank Lorenz

Robert Frank Lorenz Obituary Robert Frank Lorenz died on March 11, 2021. He was born on June 26, 1925 to Louis E. and Frances (Moravek) Lorenz at St. Luke's Hospital in Davenport, Iowa, where he grew up with his half-brother Merrill C. Lorenz and sister Frances Anna. Robert and Roberta Lou (Bobbie) Kaufmann were married on April 15, 1956 in Oelwein, Iowa and together raised a family of four children. Rebecca Lou, Debra Ann Hendrickson (Scott), Sara Lynn Gooder (Gary), and Mark John (Peggy). Robert is grandfather to seven granddaughters: Sydney, Josie, Sierra, Chelsea, Kyrie, Amber, and Sheana, and two grandsons: Forrest and Hunter and one stepgrandson Michael. He has five great-grandchildren: Paxton, Summer, Maelyn, Sawyer, and Myles. He was preceded in death by his wife Bobbie on September 30, 2016 and by his eldest daughter Rebecca Lou (Becky) in 2014. Rebecca was a special needs child who was born with Cerebral Palsy. He was also preceded in death by his son, Mark John Lorenz on May 20, 2020. In 1943, Robert graduated from Davenport High School and then entered his extensive education at St. Ambrose College, Iowa State University (BS, CE Civil Engineering), Midland University (BS, Math, Physics) and Central Lutheran Seminary (now the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago) (MDiv) in 1952. In 1978 he completed Chaplaincy training at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1952, Robert began a long history of faithfully serving as a Parish Pastor. His ministry calls included: Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pleasant Valley, Iowa, First Lutheran Church, Algona, Iowa, and St. Stephens Lutheran Church, Clinton Iowa where he also served as Chaplain at the Jane Lamb Hospital. He was Interim Pastor at a dual Parish of Trinity Lutheran Church in Pleasant Valley, Iowa and Zion Lutheran Church in Princeton, Iowa. His last parish was Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Vinton, Iowa where he was also Chaplain to the Iowa Braille School and the Virginia Gay Hospital. After retiring from the active ministry, Bob and Bobbie moved to Loveland Colorado in 1983, where together they began their active retirement lives. Pastor Lorenz was well-known in our community for his keen interest in Special Needs care as he served on the Program Committee for Foothills Gateway. He had a heart for the special needs care in all the communities where he had lived, beginning in Scott County Iowa. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, Robert served as President of the Scott County Ministerial Association and the Quad City Council of Churches. He served on the Kossuth Council of Churches, was a Board Member of Skyline Rehabilitation Center in Clinton, Iowa, and was a member of the Vinton, Iowa, Ministerial Association. In Iowa, Robert organized Benton County Opportunities, a program for special needs people of all ages. During his retirement years, Robert was a member of the Program Committee of Foothills Gateway Rehabilitation Center. He was a Charter Board Member of the Loveland Habitat for Humanity, and was a Board Member of "The Kitchen" in Loveland and was instrumental in expanding its outreach. Robert's lifelong interest in model railroading resulted in his election as secretary of the Northern Colorado Model Railroad Club. He was part of the operating group that was instrumental in constructing the layout that took the National NMRA prize that was awarded in Seattle and that is now on display at the Cheyenne Frontier mall. He was active in the construction of the Denver, Greeley, Tahoe, and the display in the Colorado Railroad Museum in downtown Greeley. Until his declining health and mobility problems interfered, he seldom missed the monthly NCMRC meetings. He considered himself a Christian man, active as such in local and regional matters, even though he was a rostered clergyman of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He regularly worshipped his Lord Jesus Christ at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Loveland.