F. W. “BILL” THOMSEN

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, January 10 at First Lutheran Church for Rev. F. W. “Bill” Thomsen, who died January 6, 1991 at his home in Blair. Burial will be in the Ruskin, Nebraska Cemetery.

Frederik William (Bill) Thomsen was born June 29, 1906 in Hjorring, Denmark. His mother, Kristine Sorensen Thomsen, with four children, Harry, William, Margret and Thyra immigrated to the United States in 1912 and came to Racine, Wisconsin. His father, Theodor Marinas Thomsen had arrived there several months before to secure work and establish himself before the arrival of the family.

Thomsen graduated from the Cleveland Art Institute in 1932. He was a graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and received a master of fine arts degree from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. He was also a graduate of Trinity Seminary, which in 1945 shared the campus with Dana College in Blair.

He married Orpa Andersen September 7, 1939 in Denver, Colorado.

He served the Bethesda Lutheran Church at Moorhead, Iowa for ten and one-half years from 1945 – 1955 while also in charge of the Dana College Art Department.

During the past 15 years, he had become well-known for his outstanding work in mosaics, which grace the interior and exterior walls of churches, hospitals and other institutions throughout the Midwest. His most recent work was an outside mural, “The Morning Star” for the Good Samaritan Society in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the chapel art, “The Good Shepherd” and stained glass window of “The Light of the World” at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

During the same time frame he worked with oil and pastel, developing religious symbols based on the book, “Black Elk Speaks” by Dr. John G. Neihardt. His last work, Tower of the Four Winds in Black Elk-Neihardt Park in Blair, grew out of many meetings with Neihardt, the late poet laureate of Nebraska and Thomsen’s reading of many of his books and other books dealing with international symbolism.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Thyra.

He is survived by his wife, Orpa; and two sons, Paul Thomsen of Sarasota, Florida and John Thomsen of Brooklyn, New York; two granddaughters; one great-granddaughter; one brother, J. H. Thomsen of Elk Horn, Iowa; and one sister, Margret Mortensen of Springfield, Missouri.

Funeral Leaflet

Funeral Service for Frederick William (Bill) Thomsen January 10, 1991

First Lutheran Church 2146 Wright Street, Blair, Nebraska. Pastor James V. McBride, Pastor J. David Nelson.

Prayer for the Living. Hymn: “O Jesus I Have Promised”. Words of Life: Job 19: 23-27a; Isaiah 25: 6-9.

Greetings from Dana College: Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, President, Dana College

Scripture: John 11: 21-27. Prayer for the Living.

Greetings from the Family: Dr. Mark Thomsen, Director of Global Missions, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Solo: “On Eagles’ Wings” by Father Michael Joncas, sung by Helen Krause.

Words for the Living: Pastor James V. McBride, First Lutheran Church.

Hymn: “How Great Thou Art”; Closing Prayer; Lord’s Prayer; Benediction; Recessional

Pallbearers: Walter George, Martin Homes, Warren Hunsche, Richard Hunt, Phil Larsen, Laurids Pedersen

The family invites you to fellowship with them in the church Fellowship Hall immediately following this service. Interment will be in Ruskin, Nebraska, tomorrow.

May the Lord look with favor upon His child as He has called him to Himself.

~~~ Obituary and funeral leaflet courtesy of Washington County Genealogical Association; newspaper clippings and leaflets on file at the Public Library, Blair, Nebraska ~~~

Campbell-Aman Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

FindaGrave #50715437