Dorothy Kersten

Kersten, Dorothy

Dorothy Kersten, age 87 of Waupaca, WI was born in Wausau, WI on July 23, 1925, the youngest of 8 children raised by Louise (Flessing) and Henry Wilke on their dairy farm in the Town of Texas. She attended Marshall Hill grade school, and graduated from Wausau High School in 1942. Dorothy worked at Employers Mutual in Wausau from 1942 to 1944, and at Thorp Finance in 1949. In 1944, she moved to Minneapolis to attend North Central University, graduating in 1947.

Dorothy was credentialed with the Assemblies of God in 1947, and from 1947 to 1949, worked with Clara Wilcox (Krake) to found the Assembly of God Church in Cornell, Wisconsin. Dorothy was a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God from 1968 to the present.

While in college, Dorothy fell in love with Milton Kersten, the man who would become her husband for the next 60 years. They were married in their home church, Christian Assembly of God in Wausau, on May 20th, 1950.

On December 23, 1951, Dorothy and Milton moved to Seymour, Wisconsin. There she worked with Milton to establish two Assemblies of God Churches, one in Seymour and a second in Oneida. Her two sons were born at this time. Dorothy also worked at Black Creek Elementary school between 1959 and 1961.

In 1962 the family moved to Guyana, South America where they served as missionaries until 1976. There, Dorothy worked in multiple capacities, from teaching Sunday School at First Assembly of God in Wortmanville to teaching courses on the Pentateuch, the Historical Books of the Bible, and Pedagogy, at the Assembly of God Bible College.

When Milton became the Area Director of Assemblies of God missions in the Caribbean in 1976, they moved to Nassau, Bahamas. There, Dorothy provided administrative support for their extended ministry to Surinam, Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, Netherlands Antilles, and the Bahamas. In 1979, they moved to Hollywood, Florida, where beginning in 1985, she supported Milton in establishing the Caribbean School of Theology. She set up the academic record system, and prepared the curriculum guide, which is still in use by the Bible schools in the Caribbean as well as the Caribbean School of Theology.

On retirement in 1992, Dorothy and her husband moved to Waupaca. They kept busy with interim ministries in Lodi and Seymour, Wisconsin, and a growing family of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Far more valued than Dorothy's professional accomplishments was her exemplary, personal influence on individuals--she became "mom" and "sister" to a large extended family. Her Christ-like spirit made a huge impact on all who had the privilege of knowing and working with her.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by her two sons Daniel (Joanne), Edina MN, Philip (Cindy), Arena WI; four grandchildren, Alyssa Theisen (Eric), Elias Kersten (Kristen Nelson), Emily Kersten, and Lydia Kersten; great-grandchildren Emmett, Eisley, Ender and Errol Theisen; and sister Beatrice McCullough.

The Funeral Service will be on Saturday, April 27 at 11 AM at the First Assembly of God Church in Waupaca. Vistation will be on Friday evening from 4 to 6 PM at the Holly Funeral Home in Waupaca and also on Saturday morning from 10 AM until the time of services at the church.

The family gives special thanks to Park Vista and Bethany Home of Waupaca for their loving care and support. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Caribbean School of Theology, P.O. Box 3416, Springfield, MO 65808-3416, URL: cstonline.org.