March 2017
Dr. Merle Radke, of St. Louis, a commissioned minister in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and retired long-time professor at Concordia-River Forest, was called to glory on March 8, 2017. A native of Iowa, he attended Concordia Lutheran High School, Seward, Nebraska, and then Concordia College, graduating in 1943.
He taught in and was principal at Lutheran elementary schools in St. Johns, Michigan, Detroit, Michigan, and Twin Falls, Idaho, before joining the English faculty at Concordia College, River Forest, Illinois, in 1957. He earned the M.A. in English from Wayne State University, Detroit, in 1953 and the Ph.D. in English from Northwestern University in 1965. At Concordia, he taught classes in literature, poetry and composition.
He served as editor of “Lutheran Education” magazine from 1965 to 1986 and as associate editor of “The Journal of Geography” from 1965 to 1970. He was chairman of Concordia’s Department of English from 1969 to 1987 and served several terms as chairman of the college’s faculty senate. He received the honorary doctor of letters from Concordia, Seward, in 1975 and was named Distinguished Professor of English by Concordia, River Forest, in 1985.
He is survived by daughters Charlyne (Dennis) Berens and Jeaninne (Alan) Meyer; grandchildren Rebecca (Bill) Berens Matzke, Rachel (Michael) Berens-VanHeest, Jeffrey (Justine) Craig-Meyer, and Aaron (Alissa) Meyer; nine great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth, in 2011.
Memorials may be sent to the Merle and Ruth Radke Fund at Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Illinois (www.cuchicago.edu) or to the Merle and Ruth Radke Fund at Concordia University Nebraska in Seward, Nebraska (www.cune.edu).
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, April 8, at 2 p.m. at the chapel on the campus of Concordia University Chicago, 7400 Augusta Street, River Forest, IL 60305.