Dean Hofstad

Birth: Feb. 6, 1922 Spencer Clay County Iowa, USA Death: Apr. 11, 2004 Sioux Falls Minnehaha County South Dakota, USA Dean Carlton Hofstad was born February 6, 1922 in Spencer, Iowa, the son of Carl and Gladys (Johnson) Hofstad. He grew up in small towns in northwest Iowa and graduated from Emmetsburg High School in 1940. As a freshman at Augustana College he met Phyllis Riley and the two were inseparable for the next 64 years. They were married June 18, 1944 in Boston, Mass., while Dean was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Following the war he graduated from Augustana College in 1947 and enrolled at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. He was ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1950, serving congregations in Austin, Minn. and Colorado Springs, Colo. In 1954 he was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force as a Chaplain, serving for the next 22 years at Dow AFB, Maine; Dreux AFB, France; Hanscom Field, Mass.; Air Command and Staff College, Montgomery, Ala.; Andrews AFB, MD; Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam; USAF Academy, Colo.; Yokota, Japan; Minot AFB, N.D.; and Norton AFB, Cal. He retired as a Colonel in 1976. Moving to Sioux Falls, SD, Dean worked at Augustana College, always near and dear to his heart, as Alumni Director for five years before serving as pastor of Springdale Lutheran Church, rural Sioux Falls. He retired for the second time in 1992. At the age of 53, Dean fulfilled a life-long dream and received his private pilot's license. He flew small planes throughout the United States until this year. Dean served in the U.S. military for a total of 25 years. After enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1943, he served as a Pharmacist's Mate at Chelsea Naval Hospital, Mass; on Okinawa; and aboard the USS Soubarrisson. He was a highly decorated Navy Corpsman and U.S. Air Force officer, notably having been awarded the Legion of Merit in 1976. Dean was a member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. He also served on the Augustana College Board of Regents, receiving the Alumni Award in 1992. Dean and Phyllis have four children and eight grand-children: Rob and Linda Hofstad and daughters, Lynn Hofstad and Sara (and Marcus) Womack; Dave and Lee Hofstad and daughter, Nichole; Judy (Hofstad) and Mike Moller and daughters Michelle and Stephanie; and Gretchen (Hofstad) Starnes and children Doran, Allison and Noelle. Dean is also survived by his brother Jerry (and Barbara), and his sister-in-law Betty (and Don, who preceded Dean in death). Among Dean Hofstad's most recognizable attributes were his faithful Christian convictions and his strong patriotic devotion. Dean's family gives thanks for the prayers and the support of his many friends. Our clearest memory of our husband, father, and grandfather will always be of his unfailing and unending love for us.

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