OBITUARY: Ardmore Pastor, World Traveler, Public Servant

Image and obituary courtesy St. Paul's Lutheran Church.

Ardmore, PA -- The Rev. G. Richard Linderman, 81, formerly of Philadelphia, a Lutheran pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, died Wednesday, May 4, 2016, of complications from a stroke at Lankenau Hospital. He had lived in the Wynnefield Heights section of Philadelphia since 2006.

Born in New Kensington, the son of George R. and Monzella (Pfeiffer) Linderman, Pastor Linderman graduated from Thiel College in 1957 and Gettysburg Seminary in 1960. He met Dorothy Gail Lutz at Christ Lutheran Church in Sardis, where they were married in 1963.

Pastor Linderman served several congregations in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey over the course of a 40-year career, and after his retirement in 2000, remained actively engaged in the life of many new congregations. Recognized by his parishioners and colleagues as a born teacher, he was known for creative family, worship and educational programming at several churches.

His early career was devoted to youth and family ministry, and he served several congregations as associate pastor, including Epiphany Lutheran in Baltimore, Md., under the Rev. Raymond C. Myers, and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., under the Rev. Ernst G. Schmidt.

After a move to New Jersey, he entered a fruitful 16-year ministry at Abiding Peace Lutheran Church in Budd Lake, N.J.

There, Pastor Linderman oversaw the construction of the congregation's first building, and became an advocate for expanding social services in the local municipality of Mt. Olive Township.

He was instrumental in developing the first public daycare program in Mt. Olive, and was a leading voice for a public senior housing program in Mt. Olive, now called Mt. Olive Manor. He served publicly on the board of Mt. Olive Senior Housing for several years.

Upon his retirement in 2000, Pastor Linderman continued to serve in interim or assistant pastor positions at several congregations in New Jersey and Philadelphia, particularly in adult Christian education.

As a member of University Lutheran Church of the Incarnation in Philadelphia, he devoted time to serving Feast Incarnate, a hospitality ministry for people in the HIV/AIDS community, both as kitchen staff and Bible study leader. At St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Ardmore, Pa., Pastor Linderman continued to serve until recently in the Stewardship and Christian Education programs, organizing adult educational opportunities on one of his favorite topics, science and Christian faith.

An avid reader and traveler, Pastor Linderman engaged other cultures through study trips to Tanzania, East Africa, Hyderabad, India and Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Through these experiences, he became an advocate of the global ministries of the ELCA.

Additionally, he joined social justice advocacy efforts of both the national and state-level Advocacy Network of the ELCA, including trips to Washington, D.C., for conferences and visits to his congressional representatives. He is survived by wife, Dorothy; son, Michael C. (Johann); daughter, Lisel M. Karen (Martin); sister, Bonna Kae Moyer; and four grandchildren, Johanna, Mira, Elsa and Samuel.

Donations may be made to Feast Incarnate HIV/AIDS Ministry, University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104; or to St. Paul's Lutheran Church at the address above.