Oluf Kongshaug, age 87, passed away unexpectedly on January 8, 2022, at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Oluf was born on April 30, 1934, the tenth child of Carl and Estrid (Sepstrup) Kongshaug, in Herning, Denmark. He and his family lived through the Nazi occupation of Denmark during W.W.II which began when Oluf was 6 years old. He was actively involved in soccer clubs through his early years in Denmark. He graduated from Jonstrup Teacher Training College and taught elementary through 9th grade until he moved to the U.S. In 1961 he traveled to the U.S. on an exchange program where he worked at a summer camp, Camp Sharparoon, run by the New York City Mission Society. There he met his wife, Betty Irwin, and they were married April 27, 1963, in Minneapolis, MN. He and his wife spent six years with the Up With People musical, educational organization. They worked with the high school students who were part of the cast at that time, traveling throughout the United States, Germany, Spain, Japan, and Korea. He then attended Bethel College in St. Paul, MN, where he received a BA in education. The couple moved to Yorktown Heights, New York, and Oluf taught at Pleasantville Middle School for 10 years. They were active members of Yorktown Presbyterian Church. During these years their three children were born. In the summers he got his MA degree in education at Western Connecticut State College. The family moved to Iowa in 1980 and Oluf attended Dubuque Theological Seminary while serving Golden Congregational Church in Ryan, IA. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1983, and then served pastorates at First Presbyterian Church, Marengo, IA, and Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA. He served as interim pastor at two churches in Iowa after retiring before he and Betty moved to Delaware, Ohio, in 2002. He has been interim minister in Ohio for seven churches including Delaware and Liberty Presbyterian Churches. He also served Central Presbyterian Church in Columbus at the time of its closing.
Oluf was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Erik, Poul, Johannes, Herman, and Bernhard; and sisters Elna, Ingrid, Else and Karen Margrethe.
He is survived by his wife, Betty Ellen; children: Ellen Margrethe (Todd Farrell); sons Paul Oluf (Rachel Willms) and Niels Erik (Erin Tokheim); nine grandchildren, Max and Toby Thomas, Delaware, OH, Cael, Micah, Nolan, and Hanna Kongshaug, Cedar Rapids, IA, Riesa, Emilia, and Finn Kongshaug, Johnston, IA; sisters, Ellen Wetterlind, Stockholm, Sweden and Anne Lise Kaltenborn, Oslo, Norway. He is also survived by 27 nieces and nephews and their families in Scandinavia and six in the U.S. He has enjoyed visiting family in Scandinavia and spending summers with family and friends at their summer place on Drummond Island, Michigan.
Memorial donations may be made to Turning Point, Delaware, Ohio or Ohio Living Westminster Thurber Spiritual Life Committee.
A Celebration of Life Service will be Saturday, March 12th at 1 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Delaware, Ohio. There will be a livestream available on the church website.
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