Rev. Richard John Gotsch

Gotsch, Rev. Dr. Richard John The Rev. Dr. Richard John Gotsch, age 80, died peacefully in his sleep on January 25, 2014. Richard served as pastor for 36 years at Grace Lutheran Church in Northbrook, then as interim pastor at Holy Spirit in Elk Grove Village for 4 years. Richard graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri and then he was ordained at Grace Lutheran Church-River Forest in 1957. He taught at Concordia University in River Forest, IL from 1960-1964. He received a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from Lutheran School of Theology in 1965 where his thesis focused the influence of Judaism on the early Christian church. During a sabbatical at Oxford University in 1987, he studied the intersection of science and religion. Richard is survived by his wife of 53 years, Elizabeth Wilson Gotsch; four children, Maria Gotsch, Peter Gotsch, Susanna Gotsch Hartner and Kristina Gotsch Tober. In addition to loving in-laws Jana French, Kris Hartner and Stephen Tober, Richard has seven grandchildren, Olivia and Thomas Gotsch, Paul and Kate Hartner, and Jacob, Sam and Luke Tober. He is also survived by a sister, Susan (Ronald) Thomson; and a niece and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mildred Peckat Gotsch and Richard Emil Gotsch. He was a man of strong Christian faith who also respected other religious traditions and had a deep interest in science. He spent his life in service to others: bringing comfort to those sick, grieving or in pain; celebrating the joys of life's happy milestones; and, witnessing his religious beliefs with intellectual integrity and faith. His family was his priority, though, with whom he laughed, cried, traveled, taught-and mostly loved. He is remembered for his caring, wise counsel, quiet sense of humor, and intellectual passion for the reconciliation of science and religion. He also gave his time to the community by serving on the Northbrook Human Relations Commission and was the Board at the Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights. A visitation was held on Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at Grace Lutheran Church and funeral services were held Wednesday, January 29 at The Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Leelanau Conservancy in Michigan (info@leelanau conservancy.org), Grace Lutheran Church, 2245 Walters Avenue, Northbrook, IL 60062 or Autism Speaks (ww.autismspeaks.org). If you'd like to recognize his life of service, please consider volunteering 3-5 hours at a non-profit that you believe is doing good things for the world in his memory. Funeral information 847-998-1020.