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the orland park prairie | October 5, 2017 | 9
The Rev. Walter Ledogar, 79, led Orland Park church for 50 years
Pastor remembered
for devotion to his
family, community
involvement
Jon DePaolis
Freelance Reporter
The Rev. Walter Ledogar,
79, served as pastor of
Christ Lutheran Church in
Orland Park for more than
50 years, but he will be best
remembered as a devoted
family man and member of
the community.
He died Sept. 20.
Ledogar was born May
21, 1938, in Newark, New
Jersey. According to his
son, Mark, Walter knew
from an early age that he
wanted to serve his faith.
“He wanted to be able
to connect what he did every
day to his beliefs and
his faith,” Mark said. “He
found that there was a really
good connection between
his really strong organizational
skills and his
communication skills, and
how those could be empowered
to do the Lord’s
work as a minister.
“My dad’s faith was anchored
and fed by the faith
his parents instilled in him,
and that included his involvement
in a very vibrant
congregation outside of
Newark, New Jersey. Dad
spoke often of that community
of faith and how that
was part of his life.”
As a child, Ledogar was
involved in a bicycle accident
that left him near
death. It was so bad that
doctors had to perform a
brain surgery.
“He talked often about
the thanks that he had for
that experience and that
he lived through it,” Mark
said of his father. “Whether
or not he connected that experience
with giving thanks
back to God through ministry,
he never made that
connection [to us]. But
I’ve often wondered if that
life-and-death experience
planted seeds [in him] that
there is something more to
life than just what we do
day in and day out.”
Ledogar was commissioned
as chaplain at the
United States Navy Reserve
School in Newport,
Rhode Island, and he graduated
from Concordia Seminary,
located in St. Louis,
Missouri.
In August 1964, Ledogar
married Carol Crane. A
year later, he was called
to serve as pastor of Christ
Lutheran Church in Orland
Park. The Ledogars spent
the next 50 years serving
the community.
Mark said he feels a
sense of gratitude to Orland
Park for supporting his parents
for so long.
“They loved my mom
and dad so dearly, and they
loved Orland Park back,”
Mark said. “I don’t know
how many people know
this, but when my dad was
called to Orland by the
Lutheran church, he was
called to close down Christ
Lutheran. They said it was
a community that was not
going anywhere. It was a
farming community, and
he came out with the full
preparation by the church
to begin to close it down
and transfer them to other
places.
“But when he came out,
and he saw these people
and how lovely they were
and how committed they
were, he said, ‘No. This is
a place where God is working.
This isn’t going to be
sending people elsewhere.’
“For the community to
support my mom and dad
in this effort, just as my
mom and dad supported the
community, it was a great
partnership. I can’t imagine
it happening it any better.”
The late Rev. Walter Ledogar is pictured in 1964 (left) and
2015. He led Christ Lutheran Church in Orland Park for 50
years. Photos submitted
“He was fearless when it came to
putting himself in places where
people needed support the most.”
Mark Ledogar — son of the late Rev. Walter
Ledogar, on his father’s role as a chaplain
Welcoming Orland Park
Mark said his father’s
hallmark as a pastor was
what Walter called “practical
ministry.”
“Certainly, he was a great
preacher — good on the
pulpit, a good communicator,
and very organized and
detail-oriented,” Mark said.
“He was meticulous in how
the church organization was
run, and how it looked, and
how it was neat and tidy and
welcoming to people.”
That last part — the welcoming
— was apparent in
how Walter remembered
the names of those who attended
the church, whether
or not they were regulars.
He also extended his
service to the community,
acting as chaplain of the
Orland Park Police Department
and Orland Fire Protection
District, as well as
director of the Orland Park
Civic Center Authority and
director of Metropolitan
Family Services.
“He was fearless when it
came to putting himself in
places where people needed
support the most,” Mark
said. “He was the chaplain
for many years for the police
department and the fire
protection district. He was
often called on to join police
and fire professionals
in the most sad of circumstances
and sharing news
with family members about
the death of a loved one, often
tragically.
“Dad was never afraid
of that. He leaned into that
practical ministry as a way
to empower him to bring
God’s grace and love to
people.”
Police Chief Tim Mc-
Carthy started at the Orland
Park Police Department
in 1994. By then, Ledogar
already was serving as the
police chaplain. They overlapped
until Ledogar retired
around 2001.
“It was always helpful to
have someone like Pastor
Ledogar assist our officers
when you’re going to visit a
family member to tell them
they’ve lost someone,” Mc-
Carthy said. “He would arrange
for any follow-up that
they’d want to have with
their own minister or other
counseling services they
might want.”
McCarthy said chaplain
service is important to a police
department.
“Walter was just such a
personable, wonderful man,
and he really filled the bill
in so many ways,” McCarthy
said. “He simply lived
his faith, and he lived it
24/7. It didn’t matter who
you were or what religious
denomination you were a
part of, he lived his faith for
everyone, and he gave much
more than he got, without a
question. He was there to
help whenever he could
for whomever needed it.
That’s really the measure of
a man or woman. Did they
give more than they got?
He would go out of his way
any time to assist us as we
needed it.”
Orland Park Trustee Patricia
Gira also interacted
with Ledogar by way of the
Cub Scouts. Her husband is
the Cubmaster for Pack 372
in Orland Park, and she,
herself, was a den leader.
“Ledogar was the minister
that was part of our
group,” Gira said. “He came
to our Blue and Gold Dinners,
and he gave an invocation
for the boys. He was
just always so willing to be
a part of the community.
Pastor Ledogar was a special
man.”
Mark said his father’s
commitment to “really walking
with people, not being
separated from them,” was
the truest sense of ministry.
“Some refer to that as the
parish,” Mark said. “The
parish extends far beyond
the walls of the church. It
really talks about that community
around the congregation.
I think my dad had
a really strong sense of parish,
even though he didn’t
use that word. That was
reflected in his leadership
in a variety of community
events and activities.”
‘He grieved for people’
Mark also got to see another
side of Ledogar: the
role of parent.
“He had a great heart,”
Mark said. “He was emotional.
He grieved for people.
We would see that in my
dad. He’d come home, and
he’d really grieve for people
who were really hurting.
That was, for my brother and
me and my mom, a privilege
— to see this person be so
strong for people and support
them but doing so only
because you allow yourself
to be supported. That’s pretty
awesome. It was a major
lesson for me and my brother
and my mom.”
Mark said Ledogar also
was an incredibly supportive
parent. Often, Ledogar
would tell Mark and his
brother a saying that Ledogar’s
own father had said to
him, “Do your best, and God
will take care of the rest.”
“That was very liberating,”
Mark said. “It was both
inspiring to want to do your
best but also not be so oppressive
to where you’d freak out
if you weren’t going to win or
accomplish something. You
realized you weren’t alone in
that endeavor.”
Memorials in Ledogar’s
name may be made to Christ
Lutheran Church for the
Home Welfare Fund, 14700
S. 94th Ave., Orland Park,
IL, 60462.