14 Sep Obit: Raymond Waldfogel, 1926-2011

Raymond Waldfogel, who served as bishop 1969-1981, passed away during the night of September 13, 2011. He was 85 years old.

The funeral will be held Saturday, September 17, in Huntington, Ind. The details:

Viewing Times: 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm Friday, September 16.

Viewing Location: Myers Funeral Home, 2901 Guilford Street, Huntington, IN 46750.

Funeral Time: 2 pm Saturday, September 17.

Funeral Location: College Park Church, 1945 College Ave., Huntington, Ind. 46750.

Raymond Waldfogel was born on April 27, 1926, in Fulton County, Ohio. He was converted as a boy in the Fountain Chapel UB church.

Raymond graduated from high school in 1943, and in 1946, at age 20, received a quarterly conference ministerial license from Fountain Chapel. He went on to graduate from Huntington College in 1950, and from its seminary in 1956. He was ordained in 1956 upon finishing seminary.

All of Raymond’s pastoral experience came in North Ohio conference. His first pastorate was Olive Branch Station, 1950-1953. From 1953-1955 he pastored the two churches on the Hopewell Circuit. He served the South Scipio church 1955-1958, and the Stryker Circuit 1958-1959.

After he had served as a pastor for nine years, the conference showed him their confidence and respect by choosing him as their fulltime superintendent. He held that position for six years, until 1965, when the conference adopted a system involving three pastor-superintendents. Raymond then began pastoring Harvest Lane UB church in Toledo, Ohio, while continuing as one of the three pastor-superintendents.

The 1969 General Conference elected Raymond as one of three bishops. During the 1969-1973 quadrennium, the bishops lived on their assigned districts. For the newly-elected bishop of the West District–everything west of Indiana–that meant moving his family to Sacramento, Calif. His pastor at the Hillsdale UB church in Sacramento was a young minister named Ron Ramsey.

The 1973 General Conference changed its mind about bishops living on their districts, and called all of the bishops back to live in Huntington, Ind. Raymond remained bishop of the West District until 1977, when General Conference stationed him on the Central District (Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida), which he served until 1981. He then returned to Toledo to again pastor the Harvest Lane church.

Bishop Waldfogel and Wardena eventually relocated to Huntington, Ind., and he served a number of years on staff at College Park UB church in Huntington and as chaplain at the Huntington hospital. He was also part of the “bishops’ cluster,” which Bishop Ron Ramsey started and Bishop Phil Whipple has continued, in which the former bishops meet periodically with the current bishop.

Raymond and Wardena were married in 1945 in Claytonville, Ill. They have five children.