Printed in the October 17, 1942 issue of The Evangelical Messenger. Article written by Raymond R. Brown.

The Evangelical Messenger was the English-language, weekly denominational publication associated with The Evangelical Church. –Source: The Genealogy Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana

H.W. Link died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Lloyd Mead, at Flushing, Mich., Sept. 27, 1942. The Rev. and Mrs. Link and daughter Frances, who is a teacher at Walter French Junior High School, have been residing at their home in Lansing, Mich., since last spring, when ill health caused Bro. Link to give up the active ministry.

The funeral services were held Sept. 30, 1942, in the beautiful and flower-ladened sanctuary of Kearsley Park Evangelical Church, Flint, Mich., which he erected during his recent pastorate there.

Rev. Wm. Kotesky, D. S. of the Bay City District, had charge of the services and read the obituary. Dr. E.S. Faust, superintendent of the Kalamazoo district, read the Scripture. Rev. W.H. Watson, superintendent of the Detroit district and historian of the Michigan Conference, offered the prayer. The Rev. Watson also gave a resume of Bro. Link’s ministry on his various fields and the valuable contributions he made to his conference in the offices he held as chairman of the Conference Relations Committee, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, member of the Michigan Conference Fire Insurance Society, and conference trustee. Music was furnished by the conference chorus, directed by Rev. Otto Knechtel, of Ferndale, with Mrs. A.A. Weinert, accompanist.

A very appropriate sermon was delivered by Rev. H.I. Voelker, minister of the Mack Ave. Evangelical church, Detroit, on the subject, “Preach the Word”. H stated that the Rev. Link’s ministry combined the rare gifts of teacher, preacher and evangelist. He also spoke of the way in which the deceased preached the Word by his exceptional musical talent, as he was a trombonist and vocalist. He

tenderly related many touching incidents that he and Bro. Link had experienced together as fellow pastors. The interment was at Flushing, Mich., where Dr. R.R. Brown, of Lansing, officiated, being assisted by Rev. M.C. Beers, of Snover. The following served as pallbearers: Revs. C.B. Westfall, of flint, R.W. Kirn, of Flint, E.F. Bailey, of Owosso, M.C. Beers, of Snover, C.A. Wilkie, of Detroit, and H. Stressman, of Saginaw. The service was attended by 40 ministers and a host of former members and friends of the deceased.

H.W. Link was born at Preston, Minn., April 13, 1877. In his personal history, which he himself compiled, he states that he was raised in the old type of Evangelical home where there was family worship twice a day.

He was converted Jan. 17, 1890, under the ministry of Rev. E.J. Heilscher, and three years later he united with the church.

At the age of 18 he received the divine call to the ministry and accordingly he began his preparation, when in 1896 he came to Naperville, Ill. He was graduated from Evangelical Theological Seminary in the class of 1902. After this he completed two years of work at North Central College.

He received his license to preach in 1899 from the Minnesota Conference. Because German was the prevailing language used in the Minnesota Conference at that time, he joined the Nebraska Conference. In the spring of 1904 he accepted an appointment in Lincoln, Neb., with an understanding that he could complete his college work in the State University located there. The many demands of this new mission upon his time, however, made it impossible for him to carry on his school work. He also served the Beaver Crossing appointment in Nebraska from 1906 to 1909.

Thinking that the climate of Ohio would be better for his health than the western plains, he transferred to the Ohio Conference where he served the following appointments: Butler Circuit, Fostoria, Fremont.

Seeking further relief from his hay fever affliction, he transferred to the Michigan Conference where he gave a quarter of a century of effective ministry. The first appointment he served in Michigan was Lansing, where through the trying war days he organized the mission and built the church edifice and parsonage. He served Lansing from 1917 to 1921. He spent the years of 1921 to 1925 as a professional evangelist. His other Michigan appointments were Owosso, Sebewaing, Flint, Kearsley Park, Blissfield.

On August 30, 1900, he married Miss Laura R. Hahn, at Preston, Minn. Four children were born to them—a son and 3 daughters, one of whom died in infancy.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~

Find A Grave Memorial #22108934