Morris Arthur Werdal passed into glory July 2, 2017. He was born November 6, 1921 in Chosan, China to missionary parents Marius and Marie Werdal. At six years of age, the family furloughed to the USA, settling on a small farm in Ferndale, Washington. Morris remained there throughout his high school years.
In 1941 he entered Seattle Pacific College. He married Marion Kivley in 1943, and graduated with a B.A. in 1945. He served as pastor of the Lutheran Brethren church in Ballard, Washington and then entered Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Upon graduating, he responded to a call in Staten Island, New York. There, he and Marion began the study of the Chinese language in preparation for missionary work.
In 1948 Communism closed the doors to China, so in 1949 the Werdals sailed to Japan to open work there for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. After thirteen years of service in Japan, the Werdals returned to the United States and Morris served as pastor in Fullerton, California; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Seattle, Washington. He also served as chairman for “Italy for Christ” for several years. He finished his full-time pastoral ministry by returning to serve a second time at the church in Fullerton, California.
Upon retiring at 73, Morris served as Interim Pastor in seven different congregations. For the last number of years, he and Marion have lived in Fergus Falls.
God blessed Morris with good health, enabling him to teach Bible classes into his ninety-second year. He is survived by his wife, Marion.
In his memory, Morris’ family prefers memorials be given to the Lutheran Brethren International Mission—Japan.