Rev. Richard “Dick” Tetzloff, former director of Specialized Pastoral Care and Clinical Education with LCMS World Relief and Human Care, and former executive director of Lutheran Ministries Association in St. Louis, died Oct. 20 at St. Cloud 
Hospital, St. Cloud, Minn., after a brief illness. He was 68 and lived in Hackensack, Minn.
Two memorial services were held: Oct. 24, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Sauk Rapids, Minn., and Oct. 25, at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Walker, Minn.
In February, Rev. Tetzloff was one of two LCMS recipients of the Christus In Mundo (Christ in the world) award, the highest honor granted for distinguished service by the Inter-Lutheran Coordinating Committee (ILCC) for ministries in chaplaincy, pastoral counseling, and clinical education.
“Dick brought Christ and lived Christ through his gentle presence, listening ear, heart of compassion, and encouraging word of the Gospel,” said Rev. John Fale, LCMS World Relief and Human Care associate executive director. “His personality and faithful service will be deeply missed.”
Rev. Tetzloff served as LCMS World Relief and Human Care’s first called employee in specialized ministries from 1988 to 1995. His many contributions include establishing standards and guidelines for ecclesiastical endorsement in ministries of chaplaincy, pastoral counseling, and clinical education. He played a key role in forming the ILCC, an organization credited with strengthening specialized pastoral ministry relationships between the LCMS and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Rev. Tetzloff headed Lutheran Ministries Association from 1995 until his retirement in 2001. Even after he “retired,” Rev. Tetzloff continued to serve LCMS specialized ministries. He returned to LCMS World Relief and Human Care to serve as interim director of Chaplaincy, Pastoral Counseling and Clinical Education from 2001 to 2003. After the tsunami, he traveled to Sri Lanka to provide pastoral care and education to pastors of the Lanka Lutheran Church. In September, Rev. Tetzloff helped facilitate a retreat for parish nurses in his native Minnesota.
In his early career, Rev. Tetzloff served as a parish pastor and chaplain. He graduated in 1959 from the former Concordia College, St. Paul, Minn., and in 1963 from the former Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Ill. He is survived by his wife, Mary, two sons, and seven grandchildren.
Posted Oct. 23, 2007
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