Willard Lund

If you met Willard Lund in person, you would remember that encounter. One of his dear friends of thirty years said this – being with Willard changed him, affirmed him every time they met.
Born on July 17th, 1922 in Pierpont, South Dakota, Willard Harold Lund was the youngest of Maia Bollum Lund and Charles Lund’s five children. Willard retained the stamina of the prairie and developed a resilient and adventurous spirit at an early age. After moving to Detroit Lakes, MN when he was 12, Willard made headlines in the Minneapolis paper for being one of the top-notch newspaper carriers, sending him to Washington D.C with another buddy. The story referred to Willard as a “veteran traveler” because he had also won a trip to New York for his stellar service as a paperboy a year earlier.
He attended Concordia College, Moorhead, MN in 1943 and majored in philosophy. That’s where he decided to become a pastor and met the love of his life, Mae. He proposed to Mae over the party line. After completing his work at Luther Seminary, Willard and Mae ventured out to Williston, ND with their three-week old infant, Sharon, to start his career serving four rural parishes. Traveling to each parish ten miles apart and living 30 miles from town kept Willard active, so did the three children in their household, Sharon, Janice, and Steve, all born in three years.
In 1951, Willard accepted a call to Milwaukee, WI and with his resilient spirit and imagination crafted a new ministry for youth and children in addition to the adult members. David was born there.
Eight years later, Willard and Mae moved to Chicago. With the parsonage only one door away from church, the home and church were like an extension of each other. High school kids and adults flowed from the home basement to church on a regular basis. Marcia was born here.
In 1967, Willard and Mae moved to Janesville, WI to serve for eleven years.  He innovated in moving from traditional services to contemporary, engaging high school students in worship.
When Willard was called to Bethel Lutheran in Madison, he was one of five pastors. He designed a whole new ministry called Befrienders. He trained lay people to care for others going through difficult times. This gave him a whole new path. After Willard’s retirement in 1987 he served as an interim pastor at McFarland Lutheran, during his time there he trained over 200 members in the Befriender ministry.
The same year, 1998, Willard was awarded the Faithfulness in Ministry Cross from Luther Seminary for his service as a pastor, “Willard Lund has affirmed lay leadership wherever he has been called to minister. He has enriched the congregation with his knowledge of the faith, his flexible spirit and his concern for the spiritual welfare of those whom he served.”
Willard was just getting started at age 76. He and his daughter, Marcia, published a manual based on his Befriender training, entitled Harnessing the Energies of Love. Willard broadened his ministry by sending this published training manual to parishes throughout the country.
The training presented a more personal focus for him when his beloved Mae began to exhibit signs of dementia. Willard became the full-time caregiver. Now, he used his many creative skills and imagination to keep her active and content. They moved to the Skaalen Retirement Community. When Mae died, Willard became active in telling his own story hoping it would help others in the same predicament, including collaboration on a video called A Gentle Talk on Alzheimers which has been used in university and community settings.
Willard enjoyed his “retirement” at Skaalen with myriad activities like a poetry group, movie afternoons, and learning to accompany singing sessions on the piano. Often he would hand out poetry books or poems to his friends in assisted living, giving them these gifts, talismans–objects that gave its bearer a special hold on life. It was one way he would connect with others and one way to start a relationship or conversation.
When he moved to Nazareth Health and Rehabilitation last summer, he continued his interests in reading, music and visiting people.
He is remembered by family and friends as a person who loved to get to know each person, who was always curious to try new things, and one who continued his quest to learn and have fun. His smile would light up a room and his inner presence would light up your day.
He is survived by his children: Sharon Lund (Bob), Janice Buntz (Rob), Steve Lund (Kelly), David, and Marcia. Grandchildren: Courtney LaRoche (Craig), Jesse Olson (Katherine), Marcel Lund (Izumi), Christopher Lund (Amanda), and Joe Swiggum (Sarah). Great grandchildren: Emerson, Isabel, Nash, Charley, Graham, and Finley and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life for Willard Lund will be held on Friday, February 25th, 2022 at 11:00 am, Visitation at 9 am, Luncheon following the service at First Lutheran Church, 310 East Washington St., Stoughton, WI 53589.  Services will be livestreamed using this link: https://event.forgetmenotceremonies.com/ceremony?c=00d2e74c-5fd1-475a-894a-3a2367f70b39 (please complete the two-step registration process to be entered into the Forget Me Not platform, please call Cress at 608-873-9244 with any questions).
In lieu of flowers, contributions could be made to NAMI of Dane County, 818 West Badger Rd. Suite 104, Madison, WI 53713.
Please share your memories of Willard by posting on his Tribute Wall.
Cress Funeral Service
206 W. Prospect Street, PO Box 231, Stoughton
(608) 873-9244