Francis Roschke Obituary

The Rev. Dr. Francis E. Roschke, 92, died after a brief illness on May 6 in Colorado Springs. He was born on December 22, 1923 in Collinsville, IL to Pastor Theodore and Hilda Roschke, the youngest of four sons. He attended St. Paul's High School and College in Concordia, MO and then Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He was ordained into the Lutheran ministry in 1947. He came from a family of Lutheran clergy on both his mother's and father's sides.

He married Anna Gross of St. Louis in 1947. Their marriage was blessed with four children: David, Charleen, Richard and Deborah.

Dr. Roschke served as pastor at five congregations of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) during 45 years of ministry: Holy Cross, Collinsville, IL; Peace, Lemay, MO; St. Andrew, Cape Girardeau, MO; Holy Cross, Kansas City, MO; and Trinity, La Junta, CO. He also earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Christ Seminary-Seminex and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1984.

He served in many wider-church capacities during his congregational ministry years and in retirement, particularly in areas of Christian education. He also contributed various articles to Lutheran publications. In retirement he served as the circuit representative for the LCMS' Lutheran Church Extension Fund in south central Colorado.

In 1992, the Roschkes moved to Colorado Springs to retire. They made Holy Cross Lutheran Church their congregational home. They particularly loved to entertain and travel. Anna died in 2007.

In 2012, Dr. Roschke began assisted-living at Brookdale Village at Skyline in Colorado Springs where he regained strength and enjoyed new friends and community.

A memorial service thanking God for and celebrating Dr. Roschke's life will be at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 4125 Constitution, Colorado Springs. A luncheon will follow.

He was preceded in death by his wife, parents and brothers Norbert, Theodore and Edward.

He is survived by his children Pastor David (and Jennifer) Roschke, Charleen (and Ronald) Bruggeman, Richard Roschke, and Deborah (and Dana) Haynes; his 11 grandchildren Pastor Daniel (and Heather) Roschke, Timothy (and Caitríona) McEniry-Roschke, Jonathan Roschke, Brian Bruggeman (and Jessica Ozbirn), Dr. Adam (and Christen) Bruggeman, Aaron and Steven Roschke, Heather (and Jared) Angelle, Benjamin (and Lindsay) Kasten, and Anna and Whitney Haynes; and his nine great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be contributed to Holy Cross Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church Extension Fund or a ministry of your choice.