Robert Edgar Karsten

Karsten Robert Edgar Karsten, age 84, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at The Forum at Knightsbridge in Columbus, Ohio. The cause of death was organ failure. He is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Norma; two children, Anne and Thomas; and four grandchildren, Katie, Eric, Emma and Elliot. A funeral service will be held on Monday, November 17 at All Saints Lutheran Church, 6770 High St., Worthington, Ohio and will include a visitation at 10 a.m. followed by a memorial at 11 a.m. An ordained Lutheran minister and doctor of philosophy, Robert dedicated himself both to Lutheran faith and practice and to the advancement of post-secondary education at church-­affiliated colleges and universities in the United States. He was a great aficionado of the arts, especially music, and widely shared his knowledge and joy of art and artistic endeavors to the delight of those around him. He displayed a life-long and infectious love of knowledge and learning. Born in Kansas City, Missouri on September 20, 1930 to a professional father and a mother of Iowa farming background, Robert attended Augustana College, Illinois prior to attaining a divinity degree from the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary, now part of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He extended his formal education with a Doctor of Philosophy in Education from the University of Denver and an executive management degree from the Harvard University School of Business. From seminary in Chicago, Robert first served as an interim pastor in Westerville, Iowa then as an associate pastor at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Kansas City where he met and courted his wife Norma of Sweet Springs, Missouri. The two were married at St. Mark's on September 3, 1960, and a full time pastorship followed at Pleasant View Lutheran Church in Indianapolis, where Robert also produced and hosted the weekly television news magazine Impact, focusing on current events. Robert became chaplain of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, after which he balanced his career between attending to Lutheran ministry and administering and strengthening church educational institutions. As minister, Reverend Karsten served as interim pastor in the Columbus area at Hilltop Lutheran Church and North Community Lutheran Church, as well as at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Hilliard and Advent Lutheran Church in Upper Arlington. He also served as guest pastor at congregations throughout the Ohio Synods of the ELCA. In an executive capacity, Robert served as a member of the ELCA Board of Pensions. His published writings included devotionals for Augsburg Fortress and columns in The Christian Ministry, The Lutheran and The Lutheran Quarterly. He actively believed in inter-denominational initiatives and served as a director of The National Council of Christians and Jews, and provided writings for The Pulpit Magazine. As educator, Dr. Karsten served as Vice President and Dean of Administration at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, as Provost of Capital University in Columbus, Ohio and as President of Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey. He also served as interim President of Notre Dame College of Ohio near Cleveland, a position which exemplified his commitment to inter denominationalism. As an accomplished churchman and educator, Robert was also a valued hand as a director of both public-and private-interest organizations which included the Partnership Against Illiteracy, the Clara Mass Medical Center, the American Heart Association, the Urban League and The Wellington School in Columbus, Ohio. The Reverend Dr. Robert Karsten asked that memorials be made to the Organ Fund of All Saints Lutheran in Worthington.