Pastor Harlan Robert Palser, 87, of Russell, Kansas, passed away Tuesday morning, September 3, 2019 at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas.
Harlan was born January 10, 1932 in the Davis Creek community of Rural North Loup, Nebraska in Valley County. He was born the second of four children to Carrol and Grace (Beck) Palser. He attended the Davis Creek School until in the ninth grade. Subsequently he attended high school in Loup City and Big Springs and graduated from the Scotia High School in 1949. Harlan was engaged in the family farm until, in view of planning to marry, he took employment on the Glenn Bremmer Farm at North Loup. After marriage he worked for W.O. Zangger and Son also at North Loup.
On June 1, 1951, Harlan was united in marriage to Evelyn Ruth Brown of North Loup. A daughter, Ellen Jean, was born to them on March 9, 1952. In August of 1952 Harlan, as well as his wife, Evelyn, received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and were later baptized by immersion at First Baptist church of North Loup from 1953 to 1955.
With a farm rented and a farm loan in place in January 0f 1955, he turned them both back and took employment with the J.R. Watkins Co. as a Field Man in Iowa in order to be available to pursue full-time Christian ministry. The family lived in Corning, Iowa until they moved to Omaha, Nebraska where he pursued further education at the Omaha Baptist Bible College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1959. During these years he was employed in carpentry and other phases of the building industry.
In June of 1959, the family moved to Winifred, Kansas where Harlan had been called as pastor of the Winifred Baptist Church. He was ordained by the Winifred Baptist Church of August 3, 1960. After pasturing at the Winifred for four years Harlan was called to serve as pastor of the First Baptist church of Wilson, Kansas, where he pastored until November of 1970 at which time he and the family moved to Winona Lake, Indiana where Harlan enrolled in Grace Theological Seminary to pursue graduate study. A variety of ministries were performed in the area during the years at Winona Lake.
After receiving the Master of Divinity degree from Grace Theological Seminary he was called to pastor the Berean Baptist Church of Boone, Iowa where he served for fourteen years until April of 1992. Evelyn Palser, his wife of 30 years passed away on January 11, 1980. On, July 18, 1981, he was united in marriage to Darlene Janda Luerman of Dorrance, Kansas. Following the ministry at Boone Reverend Palser was called to the Grace Baptist Church of Corning, Iowa, where he served until October of 1994 at which time he retired from full-time pastoral ministry.
In retirement, Harlan and Darlene resided in Russell, Kansas, where he engaged in pulpit supply ministry, Bible class teaching in Bible Baptist Church of which they were members and Pastor of Stockton Baptist Church. He also returned to the vocation which he intended to pursue as a young man, that of farming at the Darwin Steinle farm.
Surviving family include his wife 38 years, Darlene of the home; daughter, Ellen Kroeger (Richard) of Apex, North Carolina; three grandchildren; step daughters, Kathy Hickert (Bill) of Russell, Kansas, Trudy Boyd (Jim) of Ankeny, Iowa and Cindy Suppes (Kelvin) of LaCrosse, Kansas; and 11 additional grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.
Harlan was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Evelyn, brothers Hillis Palser and William Palser, and sister Charlene Lewandowski.
Celebration of Pastor Harlan’s Life will be held at 10:30 AM, Friday, September 6, 2019 at the First Baptist Church of Wilson. Graveside Service will be held at 1:30 PM, Saturday, September 7, 2019 at the Hillside Cemetery in North Loup, Nebraska. Visitation will be held from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Thursday, September 5, 2019 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, with the family present to greet friends from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Memorials have been established with the First Baptist Church of Wilson or Bible Baptist Church of Russell. Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.