Rev. Dr. Earl R. Modean

The Rev. Dr. Earl R. Modean, a Bend Resident for the past 16 years, passed away Nov. 4th, 2019. He was born in Manchester, Ct on Feb 28,1927. When he was 13 yrs old his Dad passed away from TB and Earl became extremely responsible for his Mother and 3 year old sister Mona. He worked at the Post Office before and after school to help support them; yet managed to be on the basketball team and was President of his H.S. After being stationed in Iceland in WWII with the Army/Air Force, Earl attended Upsala College in NJ. His calling to the ministry lead him to Augustana Lutheran Seminary in Rock Island, Il. When he interned at Messiah Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Mn., he met his future wife Marcia Fink from Albert Lea, Mn, after she filled out a visitors card. He called on her, then asked her for a date, and they were happily married for 65 years. Earl's first church was in Windsor, Ct., where he founded and built a new congregation, Christ The King Lutheran Church. He also served as Chaplain in the Air National Guard. After 5 years, in 1960, he accepted a call to First Lutheran Church Clifton, NJ where he served for 34 yrs. There Rev. Modean built a new church building for a growing congregation and also built Evergreen Manor, the City's first low income Senior Housing Complex. He established a well loved Nursery School and was Chaplain of the Clifton Fire Dept. He served on the Board of Passaic General Hospital and was a member of the Rotary and Lions clubs. He chaired the Juvenile Conference Committee which acted as an adjunct to the court system in helping young offenders. Rev Modean was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree after serving on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater for 15 years. After retiring, he served as an interim pastor for ten years in 4 churches in Northern NJ. Pastor Modean is survived by his wife Marcia and their four children, Nancy Moscone - sons Travis and Gavin, Jayne Modean - husband Jay Sholl - son Luc Coulier, Kathy Murphy - husband Colin Murphy - children Dylan, Logan, and Hayden, and Paul Modean - wife Laurie - children Hunter and Gracie. To call Earl Modean a special man is simply not enough, for he was an amazing soul with a warm sense of humor, who made a remarkable, positive impact on everyone he touched. A Memorial Service with Military Honors will be held Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 12:30 PM in the Nativity Lutheran Church of Bend, OR. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Nativity Lutheran Church 60850 Brosterhous Rd, Bend, OR 97702 or Bethlehem Inn 3705 N Highway 97, Bend, OR 97703.

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Rev. Dr. Earl R. Modean

February 28, 1927 - November 4, 2019