Funeral service will be 12:30 pm on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at the Chapel of the Christ on the Martin Luther College Campus in New Ulm with Pastor Jeffrey Bovee officiating. A private family committal service will be held on Monday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in New Ulm.

A visitation will be held from 2-5 pm on Friday at the Chapel of the Christ on the college campus in New Ulm.

The Minnesota Valley Funeral Home of New Ulm is handling the arrangements.

To leave an online condolence for his family, or to sign the guestbook, go to: mvfh.org

Arnold is survived by his dear wife, Ruth, to whom he was married for 57 years. They were blessed with four children, twenty-three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren: Paul (Rebecca) of New Ulm – Kristi (m. Isaiah Horn), Abigail (m. James Hemmelman), Joshua and Joel; Mark (Rachel) of Green Bay, WI – Kayla (m. Stephen Johnson, and son Talon) and Sarah (m. Matthew Proeber); John (Rebecca) of Dallas, TX – Phillip, Micah (m. Hillery Koelpin, and son Ezekiel), Erika, Caleb, Seth, Josiah, Matthew, Noah, Emma, Elijah and Gabrielle; Beth (David) Scharf of New Ulm – Anastasia, Zoe, Isaiah, Dahlia, Evangeline, Nika. He is also survived by an older sister Lois Doine of Surprise, AZ. He was preceded in death by his older sister Ruth Siehr, older brother Winfred and sister-in-law Ruth (Berg) Koelpin, and brothers-in-law William Fulton and Earl Doine.

Arnold John Koelpin was born on May 24, 1931, in Milwaukee, WI, to Rev. Arnold Bernard and Magdelena (Gieschen) Koelpin. He was baptized in the Christian faith on June 14, 1931, at Fairview Ev. Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. He was confirmed in the faith on April 2, 1944, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Caledonia, WI. He attended Concordia Lutheran High School and Junior College in Milwaukee, and graduated from Northwestern College in Watertown, WI, in 1953. He was a 1958 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (Mequon, WI). His post-graduate work included several terms of doctoral study at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany.

He served as a pastor at St. James Ev. Lutheran Church in Cambridge, WI, from 1961-62. In 1962 he accepted a call to teach at Dr. Martin Luther College, where he served as a Professor of Religion and History until his retirement in 2001. He was a prolific writer and frequent guest lecturer, and he was a recognized authority on the life and writings of Martin Luther.

Arnold was very involved in civic affairs as well, and he loved his “adopted city” of New Ulm. He served on the Brown County Historical Society, the Hermann Monument Committee, on the Sister Cities Commission, as a tour guide, and wrote the text for several of New Ulm’s historical markers. From 2000-2003 he was appointed to serve a term as New Ulm’s mayor. His experience and knowledge of New Ulm’s history, in addition to his ability to speak fluent German, made him something of a natural candidate.

He will be remembered as a kind, caring, gentle, intelligent man who was a model of Christian life and faith. He was a capable and well-loved teacher, always genuinely interested in people and fascinated by the stories of the past. He rejoiced to see the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, just commemorated at the end of October. Martin Luther’s motto verse (Psalm 118:17) hung on the wall of his study: “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.”

Memorials are preferred to: MLC Christus Lux Endowment @ Martin Luther College, New Ulm, MN 56073. Or to the donor’s choice.

www.mvfh.org

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