BOD member called to glory

Frank Belden

WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – On the morning of April 16, 2013, Frances (Frank) Patrick Belden entered into glory. Frank was elected as a lay-member to Lutheran Church–Canada’s (LCC) Board of Directors at the 2011 convention, and served until late February 2013 when he resigned after being diagnosed with late stage cancer.

“From the beginning of his brief time on our Board of Directors, Frank Belden was a thoughtful listener and speaker at our meetings,” reflected President Robert Bugbee. “He also began putting his fundraising experience to work in helping the Synod arrange for the upcoming Pastors and Deacons Conference. We’ll deeply miss his expertise in these kinds of projects in the coming years.”

Frank was born in Kansas in 1943. He served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army in the 1960s, and emigrated to Pembroke, Ontario in 1970. He worked many years in banking before being recruited by Concordia University College of Alberta (Edmonton) in 1982, at which time he began his career in fundraising for not-for-profits. He supervised all fundraising activities, business affairs, capital projects, and instructional planning of the college for eight years.

He became Regional Director for Canada for the “Alive in Christ” campaign in the Lutheran Church (1984-1986). He also joined the Association of Lutheran Development Executives, becoming the first Canadian in this international organization which promoted standards for ethical fundraising. Following his time at Concordia, he worked with the Edmonton Public Library and the Penticton Hospital Medical Foundation. He retired in 2004 to Summerland, British Columbia with his wife Deborah, though he continued to work for periods of time with the Hospital Foundation with the CNIB, Habitat for Humanity, the Canadian Mental Health Association, and the BC Kidney Foundation.

In later years, Frank suffered significant ill health. He underwent open heart surgery and in 2005 received a heart transplant. In 2009, he suffered kidney failure and received a kidney transplant. After a brief battle with cancer, Frank was admitted to Moog and Friends Hospice House in Penticton April 15 of this year. He passed away in the early morning of April 16, with his wife Deborah at his side.

“I’m especially thankful for the calm and steady faith God gave him during the weeks of his struggle with cancer,” said President Bugbee. “He modeled out a patient trust in Christ, and I’m glad for the joy he now has in his real, lasting home.”

Frank is survived by his wife Deborah, his brother Joseph Edward and sister Catherine Ellen, son Thomas, and many nephews and nieces.

A funeral service is planned for 9:30 a.m. April 27 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in West Kelowna.

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