ELCA Pastor Carl Segerammar Dies

CARL SEGERHAMMAR DIED

The Rev. Carl W. Segerhammar, 89, a retired bishop of the former
Lutheran Church in America and a pastor of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, died Oct. 22 of massive heart failure
in Thousand Oaks, Calif.  Segerhammar was bishop of the LCA's
Pacific Southwest Synod from 1963 until his retirement in 1975.
From 1950 to 1963 he was president of the California Conference,
a similar position in the former Augustana Evangelical Lutheran
Church -- one of four church bodies that formed the LCA.
Segerhammar was born in Axtell, Kan., and married Ruth E.
Gustafson.  He earned degrees from Bethany College, Lindsborg,
Kan., and Augustana Theological Seminary, Rock Island, Ill.
Ordained in 1932, Segerhammar served as pastor of Emanuel
Lutheran Church, Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1932-35; First Lutheran
Church, Longmont, Colo., 1935-46; and Angelica Lutheran Church,
Los Angeles, 1946-55.  Designated "Ecumenical Minister of Los
Angeles" in 1970, Segerhammar was a member of the National
Council of Churches' general board, board member of the LCA's
Division for World Mission and Ecumenism, president of the
Council of Churches in Southern California, president of the
Inter-Religious Council of Southern California, and a board
member of the (Methodist) School of Theology at Claremont, Calif.
He is survived by his wife, and four children -- Kathleen Hurty,
Kathryn Swanson, Karen Parker and Kemp Segerhammar, 13
grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.  A memorial service was
held Oct. 28 at the Samuelson Chapel on the campus of California
Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks.

For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service,
(312) 380-2958 or AHAFFTEN@ELCA.ORG; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir.,
(312) 380-2955 or FRANKI@ELCA.ORG; Melissa Ramirez, Assist. Dir.,
(312) 380-2956 or MRAMIREZ@ELCA.ORG