Retired Covenant minister Donald Ostrom died on December 22, 2024, in Brownsburg, Indiana. He was 80.
Donald R. Ostrom was born to Everett and Eleanor Ostrom on July 13, 1944. He was introduced to Jesus early, and as a five-year-old, he asked his mother if he could have Jesus in his heart too. His childhood was spent as a pastor’s kid in East Chicago, Indiana; Greeley, Colorado; Brantford, Kansas; Cleveland Heights, Ohio; and New York, New York. He began school in a one-room schoolhouse in Kansas and graduated from Flushing High School in New York City.
He excelled as a college student at North Park University. Knowing he wanted to pursue ministry, he began seminary classes at North Park Theological Seminary, received his master of divinity degree in 1973, and was ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church in 1974.
His ministry career spanned over fifty years as a youth minister, intern pastor, lead pastor, interim pastor, and on-call hospital chaplain. He served eight churches in seven states—Chicago, Illinois; Arnold, California; St. Paul, Minnesota (Maplewood); Traverse City, Michigan (West Bay); Duluth, Minnesota (Salem); Lincoln, Nebraska (First); Pomeroy, Iowa; and DuBois, Pennsylvania (Bethany). He served on several boards and commissions in the denomination, including as chair of the Covenant World Relief commission and the evangelism committee in the Northwest Conference, vice chair of the Great Lakes Conference committee on the ministry, and chair of the Northwest Conference Ministerial Association. Since 2019, Don was a member of Hope Covenant Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.
After Don retired from full-time ministry in 2014, he continued as an on-call hospital chaplain and worked a few hours a day as a medical courier in Pennsylvania. When he moved to Indiana in 2019, he began delivering Meals on Wheels, became a mentor for kindergarteners in the Brownsburg Education Foundation’s Real Men Read program, served on the board for his condominium association, led a Bible study for retired men, started gardening, came alongside friends in health crises, and loved spending time with his four nearby grandchildren.
Don married Kay Forsman on September 4, 1965, and together they adopted Margaret (Meg) and David in 1968, Shari in 1974, and Timothy in 1977. Kay passed away in 2000, and Don married Darlene (Nicoletto) Madvig, who had also been widowed, in 2001.
Don was preceded in death by his first wife, Kay; his son David; his brother-in-law, Brian Forsman; and sister-in-law Sue. He is survived by his wife, Darlene; children Meg Jones, Shari Plumb (Joe), and Timothy; stepdaughter Rachel Zimmerly (Stephen); grandchildren Tara Calhoun (T.J.), Candis Cooper (Brad), Kaylynn Plumb, Nolan Zimmerly, Ephraim Zimmerly, August Zimmerly, and Junia Zimmerly; great-grandchildren Tamra Miller, Cameron Calhoun, Tyler Cooper, and Abel Cooper; siblings, Paul and Myrna Hines (Don); sisters-in-law Lori Lavery, and Sally Charlson; (William); and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life was held on January 4, 2025. Memorial gifts may be sent to The Santiago Partnership (serving the underprivileged in Ecuador through homes for at-risk children and medical clinics, www.santiagopartnership.org) or Mission Meadows (Christian camp and retreat center located on Chautauqua Lake in western New York), at www.missionmeadows.org
Peace be to his memory.
