Rev. Garry Ray Dassow passed into eternal Glory on May 17, 2023, in Hoisington, Kansas. He was the fifth of seven boys born to Bernard and Elaine (Fischer) Dassow on October 31, 1939, in Medford, Wisconsin. Growing up on the family farm was hard, but Garry fondly told of the shenanigans he and his brothers would get into. Those stories often included an old tractor, a rickety wagon, a load of hay, or a pile of wood.
Garry was baptized on November 19, 1939, and confirmed on July 27, 1952, at Trinity Lutheran Church on Dassow Avenue in Medford, Wisconsin. His confirmation verse was 1 Timothy 6:12: Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
During confirmation classes, the Holy Spirit began to draw Garry towards ministry, and his Pastor encouraged him to pursue it. Garry graduated in 1957 from Lutheran High School and in 1959 from Concordia Junior College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1961, Garry received his Bachelor of Pre-Theology from Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and in 1965, his Master of Sacred Theology from St. Louis (Concordia Theological) Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.
His year of vicarage was spent at Zion Lutheran Church in Manning, Iowa. While there, he met his future wife, Janet Sizer. They were married on August 8, 1965, at Zion Lutheran Church in Kearney, Nebraska. Pastor Dassow’s first call in 1965 was to serve dual parishes in Nebraska: Christ Lutheran Church in Nebraska City and Trinity Lutheran Church in Auburn. While in Nebraska, son Matthew and daughter Bethany were born. In 1972, the family moved to Emmetsburg, Iowa, where Pastor Dassow served at St. Paul Lutheran Church. While in Iowa, son Craig joined the family. In 1978, they moved to Hoisington where Pastor Dassow served at Concordia Lutheran Church for 27 years. While there, son Tyler completed their family.
Pastor Dassow loved being part of a preschool, teaching confirmation classes, helping with VBS, and creating annual Labor Day parade floats. Although officially retired in 2005, Pastor Dassow continued serving as Interim Pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Great Bend, Kansas, until his second retirement in 2017. In over 50 years of ministry, Pastor Dassow only missed two regular services he was scheduled to conduct. Pastor Dassow was a 45-year member of Concordia Lutheran Church in Hoisington and a dear friend to Our Savior Lutheran Church in Great Bend.
Garry was very active in the community. He had been an advisory board member for Hoisington Lutheran Hospital and later served as a foundation member for Clara Barton Hospital. Garry also served as a board member for the Family Recovery Center and the Cardinal Apartments. He was a member of Main Street Inc. as well as the Hoisington Kiwanis Club, often helping with the kiddie cars during Labor Day festivities. Garry helped operate “Get Involved Before Your Kids Do” and worked with D.A.R.E. and the Uptown Youth Center. He also volunteered at the Hoisington Food Bank and was the CROP Hunger Hike chairman for many years, often participating in their 6-mile walks. Garry was named Hoisington’s 1992 Citizen of the Year, the first minister to be recognized for outstanding service to the community.
In his free time, Garry liked to keep things going and was often servicing old lawnmowers and bicycles; sanding and staining used furniture; fixing leaking faucets and running toilets; and swapping out and replacing floor tiles in the church basement. Garry would offer to help anyone in need. He enjoyed woodworking; square dancing and traveling after retirement; playing games (especially Sheepshead with family in Wisconsin); and singing songs, reading books, and telling stories to his young grandchildren.
Preceding him to heaven were his parents; brothers Larry (Annamae) Dassow, Eugene Dassow, and Duane Dassow; and longtime companion Selma Webb. Left to cherish his memory on earth are his children Matt (Lynn) Dassow of Missouri City, Texas; Beth (Gene) Perry of Axtell, Kansas; Craig Dassow of Salina, Kansas; and Tyler (Rachel) Dassow of Vancouver, Washington. Garry also leaves granddaughters Kate Perry, Cheyenne Chapin, Sierra Perry, Elina Dassow, Addison Dassow, and Kelby Dassow; great-grandson Zayden; great-granddaughter Victoria; brothers Harvey (Arlene) Dassow of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Everett Dassow of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Delmar (Helen) Dassow of Stetsonville, Wisconsin; and sister-in-law Peggy Dassow of Burlington, Wisconsin.
The family thanks the staff of Credo (Country Place) Senior Living in Hoisington for their outstanding care of Garry since 2019 as well as the staff of Kindred Hospice for their loving support.
Visitation will be Sunday, May 21, 2023, from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, Hoisington, with the family receiving friends from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Funeral services will be Monday, May 22, at 10:00 a.m., at Concordia Lutheran Church in Hoisington on, Rev. Gary Wolf presiding, with burial to follow at the Hoisington Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Concordia Lutheran Church in Hoisington.
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. – 1 Peter 5:10