Born May 27, 1951 in Norfolk, Nebraska Richard (“Dick”) Jostes died at his St. Louis home on March 27, 2021 after a three year battle with cancer. He leaves behind his loving wife, Laura and three sons, Kurt (Becca) and grandson, Dominic of New Orleans, Steve (Jordan) and grandson, Nolan of Las Vegas, and John of St. Louis. He confirmed his faith in 1965 under Rev. Alvin Bruenger at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison, NE.
Dick retired June 30, 2020 after ten years as a gift officer for Concordia Seminary in Clayton, MO. He also served in various administrative and fundraising positions at Orphan Grain Train, Norfolk, Ne; Concordia University Nebraska, Seward; Concordia Chicago, IL; Nebraska Wesleyan, Lincoln, NE; and Children International, Kansas City, MO. Other than fundraising he taught in Lutheran Schools and worked as an admissions counselor for Concordia University Nebraska.
He was preceded in death by his father, Leonard Jostes of Seward, NE and mother and step-father, Doris and Ramon Gellerman of Ft. Wayne, IN.
He is also survived by sisters Janet (Jim) Luepke of Ft. Wayne, IN and Kris (Scot) Rockwell of Prescott, AZ and brother Douglas of Ft. Wayne.
His funeral service will be held at Village Lutheran Church in Ladue, MO on
March 31 at 11:00 AM. The service will be live streamed and you may access this by going to: https://vimeo.com/529711749/dcb75ff62d
A private graveside committal will be held at a later date in Seward, NE. Memorials may be given to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Leonard C. Jostes Memorial Scholarship at Concordia University, Seward, NE or charity of one’s choosing.
Dear Laura and Family
Just a note to assure you that your distant relatives here in Texas are thinking about you and praying for you. I also am thanking the Lord for the beautiful life that Richard lived. Hia influence will continue into the next many generations. With cordial thoughts and prayers. Wayne Huff husband of Alice Marie Wirt Huff
Laura and family,
Our sympathies to you all at this time of deep sadness. Dick was a valuable treasure to God’s kingdom and furthering His kingdom work. We have fond memories of his laughter and positive attitude.
May you treasure the happy times, as you live in the Hope for eternity.
My sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Jostes. He was my high school teacher and was always kind-hearted, teaching us to be better young people and he always greeted us each day with his warm smile. ❤
I met Dick in Greeley, CO when I attended UNC in Greeley, His wife Laura was a former roommate at Concordia, Seward. I remember Dick as being caring, gregarious, and very encouraging. His contributions to the educational community have been genuinely amazing! God bless his family at this time.
Dick was not only a co-worker, but a friend. He was one of the most sincere and caring men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
It was my joy to work with Dick in St. Louis and at times would accompany him on donor visits. I marveled at the reception he (and I) always received. People loved him and he loved them. He always concluded each visit with a prayer. He wore his faith on his sleeve.
His race is now over but his soul sits in the lap of Jesus!
I thank God I had the opportunity to know Dick. I thank God that Jesus called him friend.
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Phjlippians 1:21. Dick truly lived his life for Christ as a humble, dedicated servant of his Savior. My wife and I have treasured memories of Dick. Trusting in Jesus as his Savior, Dick now enjoys the gain of eternal life in heaven as he awaits the resurrection when his mortal body will be re-united with his soul in heaven where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16,11). Rev. David V. and Judy Dissen, Cape Girardeau, MO. The peace of the Lord be with his family.
Dick was a much loved colleague and faithful brother in Christ. We often talked about our calling to the Seminary and the opportunities we had in serving our donors. “Touching lives for Christ,” was a common phrase we shared. Through his ministry, Dick was a master in “touching lives for Christ.” And, through his service, countless lives have been impacted by the saving Gospel. Thank you, Dick, for being such an inspiration and model to follow. You have touched our lives. You have made an eternal difference…
Dick was a much loved colleague and faithful brother in Christ. We often talked about our calling to the Seminary and the opportunities we had in serving our donors. “Touching lives for Christ,” was a common phrase we shared. Through his ministry, Dick was a master in “touching lives for Christ.” And, through his service, countless lives have been impacted by the saving Gospel. Thank you, Dick, for being such an inspiration and model to follow. You have touched our lives. You have made an eternal difference…
Dear Laura and family,
May God give you strength, grace and His comfort in this time of tremendous grief and loss! Our prayers are with you.
We thank God for Dick’s life and ministry, the joy of knowing him and the hope of eternal life.
So very sorry to read the news. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you grieve and look forward to the blesseed reunion in Heaven.
My condolences to the family of Mr. Jostes he was one of my favorite teachers at Lutheran High School.
Richard’s warm smile and peaceful presence are what I will remember about him. His joy in Jesus stood out, and his serving heart was evident to all. I pray our gracious Savior give you hope in His resurrection.
Oh so sorry…he was one of my favorite teacher’s at KCLHS.. ..he was a great teacher and loved by his students…..prayers for his family…Heaven gained another angel….may he RIP
Our sympathies to Laura and her three sons and spouses and grandchildren. It was my pleasure to be a colleague of Dick’s at Concordia in Seward, NE and to stay a friend while he worked at Concordia Seminary in Clayton. We had the pleasure of knowing him since August 1978. A true servant to the church and a true christian friend.
I have a lot of good memories working with Dick, during our time at Concordia – Seward. Dick’s Easter came early this year. He was a wonderful colleague. My thoughts, prayers and sincere sympathies to his family. May faith in our saving Lord comfort you now.
I’m very sorry for your loss. I knew Dick as a student at Concordia and always thought highly of him. May you feel the peace that passes all understanding and rejoice in knowing that he is with the Lord.
My sincere condolences to you all at this time of grief and sadness. I met Dick at a college fair when he helped talk me into applying to attend Concordia NE even though I was reluctant to follow that expected path. (So many blessings came from that choice!) Over the years when we met at various Lutheran gatherings or in development/advancement circles, he always took time to check in and catch up with me on what door God had recently opened. He was always kind and gracious and a wonderful example of a servant leader doing kingdom work. May God comfort you and give you His peace as you remember happy times and give thanks for the impact he had on the many lives Dick touched.
I knew Dick primarily as the husband of one of my oldest friends on earth, his wife Laura. My husband and I met up with Laura and Dick several times during the years. We have a fond memory of sharing an evening with them on our deck in Lakewood, Colorado. Although we didn’t have enough opportunities to get together with Dick in person, we kept in touch for nearly 40 years. Rest in peace, Dick and peace and love to Laura and the rest of your family.
Laura, Kurt, Steve & John & spouses;
What a truly love story you both have demonstrated to the world! Your undying faith & love for the Lord has truly come through to whoever knew you! What a true & precious gift you have given to all of us & you continually have given to all of us through the yesrs we have known your family! A true & precious gift from above!! We love all of you & we are here for you much later after everyone has gone back to their normal routines. I will be there to celebrate your lives when you need me…much later for that meatloaf & fixings & a pie too!! Know we are there for you in Spirit today & will always be here for you in the future whenever you need to talk even if its in the middle of the night! We love you Laura & we want to comfort you when you need us the most…Forever in our hearts, John, Brenda, Cameron & Laura.
I worked with Dick in Concordia Seminary. Dick always smiles and was generous to share his knowledge with me. I enjoy talking with him and learn a lot from him. My prayers for him and his family.
I enjoyed getting to know Dick during our time in our Webster Gardens small study group. He was a kind and patient man whose life reflected the fruits of the Spirit. You could see the love of Jesus in his life. I’m sorry he left us this soon yet so grateful that he’s home safe with our Lord and Savior!
Dick helped make Concordia Sem’s mission become live and personal for us. We came to look forward to his visits. He rests now in the arms of his Savior he so faithfully served.
Hallelujah, his victory is won!
John & Patricia Stehr
Hixson, TN
This is addressed to Laura and family. Since I am residing during this pandemic time in the Philippines, I am so sorry I missed the notice of Dick’s celebration of life for everlasting! We became close co-workers in the Lord’s work when I came to Christ Lincoln in Nebraska. Earlier this year Dick and I had the opportunity to talk over the phone and he talked about his time left on this earth, his love for his family, his love for the Lord, and the wonderful ministry he was able to provide, with God’s help, to so many people and organizations over the years. In the professional field of church related fundraising, one could tell that Dick enjoyed people and what he was doing for whatever organization he worked for…and for us to be able to sit down and compare notes, share encouragement, and pray together. And then we talked into the late hours sometimes about family and he couldn’t stop to share how much he loved you, and kids and grandkids. Dick was an inspiration to me probably much more than I was to him…but we are still friends….friends in the name of our Lord and Savior, waiting to work on a fundraising project for our Heavenly Father in…you got it…our heavenly home! Blessings be to you and your family. In the name of the Risen Lord….Tom Grunow