The Rev. Dr. Eugene V. Stime, 81; Retired Teacher And Administrator

The Rev. Dr. Eugene V. Stime once listed some of life's pleasures: salmon fishing, a view of "mountain, woods and water in one sweep," butterscotch pie and his favorite hymn, "My God How Wonderful Thou Art."

His work was also a pleasure, say former co-workers who remember his skill as a Bible teacher and administrator who, through simple messages often delivered with humor, challenged others to live up to their faith.

"He was very clear in everything that he taught or preached," said Arlouine Hanson, secretary to the Rev. Stime at the Lutheran Bible Institute. "His message was simple and couldn't be missed."

The Rev. Stime, 81, died Sunday (May 5) of cardiac arrest. He had been hospitalized since January.

A Lutheran minister for 50 years, the Rev. Stime served as founding president of the Lutheran Bible Institute, now in Issaquah, and minister at three Seattle-area churches. He was on the board of regents for Pacific Lutheran University from 1962-64, gave the opening prayer for a session of the U.S. House of Representatives, and helped found Holden Village, a church wilderness retreat in Chelan County.

The Rev. Stime was born Feb. 14, 1910 - his middle name was Valentine - on the family farm near Lemmon, S.D., one of nine children.

He graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, and taught in a one-room, eight-grade rural school for three years, earning $75 per month. During one summer break, the Rev. Stime worked on a neighbor's farm for $15 a month and board.

After a time he felt called to the ministry. He enrolled at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis for a year and then the Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul. He graduated in 1939, served a year in a church in Saskatchewan, Canada, then joined the facility at the Bible institute in Minnesota.

Five years later, the Rev. Stime volunteered to come to Seattle to lead a branch campus that was beginning its second academic year in the fall of 1945. The school's goal was to serve as a biblical training facility for Lutheran lay people.

"He was a very committed leader to the school, very precise and well-organized," said the Rev. Robert Rismiller of Bellevue, who taught at the institute for 18 years under the Rev. Stime. "He wanted to serve the churches and congregations by training people."

Rismiller said the Rev. Stime approached life with a wonderful sense of humor, and "would keep us in stitches at the dinner table with his storehouse of funny stories."

The Rev. Stime would interrupt staff meetings and lead the faculty to a nearby bowling alley. After an hour or so of bowling, they'd go back to school to continue their discussion.

Hanson recalls that every birthday the Rev. Stime would stand on his head, keeping his legs in the air a second for each year of age. His last Valentine's Day performance was an 80-second stand last year, according to his son Randy Stime.

"He took pride in his display, in the sense it showed he was staying young," Hanson said.

During his 25-year presidency, the institute moved from a church in downtown Seattle to a 9-acre site in North Seattle, and the faculty increased from four to 10. (In 1979, the institute moved to Providence Heights in Issaquah.)

"My father always wanted to be a missionary, but he knew his gift was in teaching and administration," said Randy Stime. "Yet he was responsible for sending hundreds of missionaries out through the Lutheran Bible Institute. His heart was in missions."

The Rev. Stime retired from the institute in 1970, and later served as an associate minister at the First Lutheran Church of Richmond Beach, Bethel Lutheran of Shoreline and Central Lutheran of Everett.

He enjoyed traveling, and led six tour groups to the Holy Land, his son said. Last year at the age of 80, he led a group of 44 senior citizens to Norway.

He followed the Seattle Mariners and went fishing every Monday, sharing the fruits of his catch at salmon bakes for seniors at his churches.

The Rev. Stime is survived by his wife, Altrude Langhaug Stime; five children, Randy of Seattle, Nathan of Spokane, Timothy of Quebec, Eunice of Pullman and Victor of Spokane; 18 grandchildren, six sisters, and a brother.

Randy Stime said one of his father's last wishes was to see his newest granddaughter Britta, born April 4 in Spokane. The Rev. Stime met Britta in his hospital room Saturday; he died less than 24 hours later, said his son.

Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Issaquah, with a reception following. The family suggests remembrances to the institute, to be used for student scholarships.