Klaus Willfried Kowarsch

Klaus Willfried Kowarsch (known as Will Kowarsch), 78, passed away on 11 August 2019 at Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth in Fort Worth, TX. He was born to Willi Kowarsch and Gertrude Kühnert Kowarsch on July 13, 1941 in Qamalisch, Germany a small village outside of Sagan in the former province of Silesia which now resides in Poland. Will’s mother fled the advancing Soviet army with the children in the spring of 1945. Will was 3 almost 4 in the spring of 1945. In the years after WWII until he reached nearly 11 years of age he grew up in Lamspringe, West Germany when his family immigrated to the US with the sponsorship of a German/Dutch American family from Bluffton, SC. After several years the family moved to Eutaw, AL. He graduated from the segregated all white High School in Eutaw in 1960, where he was elected Student Body President his senior year. After high school he attended Southwestern Adventist University (then a Junior College) in Keene, TX where he received an Associate degree in 1962. Next, he attended Southern Adventist University (then known as Southern Missionary College) in Collegedale, TN where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Theology in 1965. He was hired as a pastor to the Carolina Conference of Seventh Day Adventist after graduating from SMC and sponsored to immediately attend one year of seminary at Andrews University. Before starting work in the fall of 1966, following his one year in seminary he visited his relatives in West Germany.
He then began work for the Carolina Conference of Seventh-day Adventists as a pastor in Charleston but was quickly relocated to the Asheville church where he met his future wife Paula “Dian” Garren (known as Dian). Over the next twenty years he pastored churches in Fletcher, Henderson and Brevard, NC; Florence, Kingstree, Myrtle Beach, Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville, Aiken and Orangeburg, SC; Statesville and Mocksville, NC.
In 1977, he accepted a call to work as a pastor in the South Dakota Conference (now Dakota Conference) of Seventh-day Adventists where he pastored the Spearfish and Belle Fourche churches until 1979 when he accepted an offer to join the Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists where he pastored churches in Pipestone, International Falls and Northhome as well as a small worship company in Marshall until the end of 1985. In January of 1986, he began a second ministerial career working for the non-profit Christian Record Service an organization serving the blind. During his career with Christian Record Services he worked in South Carolina based out of Spartanburg from 1986 to 1990. After which he was promoted to Director of the Southwestern Region based in Keene, TX. He retired in 2006 after 20 years with Christian Record Services and a 20-year pastoral career but continued to work part time for Christian Record Services for another 10 years eventually retiring completely in 2016.
Will was actively involved in the Crowley Seventh-day Adventist Church teaching Sabbath School and hosting Bible studies in his home. Will married Dian in 1967 in Asheville, NC. They were happily married for 52 years. Will enjoyed gardening, studying the Bible, reading history, watching the news and Dallas Cowboy games as well as meeting and spending time with people of whom he knew no stranger.
He received an award during his work with Christian Record Service for joining the Million Dollar Club.
Will was preceded in death by his sister Sieglinde, his father Willi, his mother Gertrude and his brothers Dieter and Heinz.
Will is survived by his spouse Dian of Burleson; daughter Krista Kowarsch Stover Weisner of Cookville, TN; daughter Karin Beals and her husband Scott Beals of Owasu, OK; son Klaus Kowarsch, Jr. and his wife Karina Kowarsch of Riverside, CA; daughter Karla O’Neal and her husband Brandon O’Neal of Happy Valley, OR; sister Renate Gray and her husband Peter Gray of Manning, SC; sister Heidi McFarland of Cleveland, TN; sister Esther Zwemer and her husband John “Z” Zwemer; brother-in-law Robert Garren and his wife Ruth of Collegedale, TN; grandchildren - offspring of daughter Krista - Christopher Stover, Cecily Balestacci, Collin Weisner, Celine Weisner and Charity Weisner; grandchildren - offspring of daughter Karin - Arin and Ashlan (by first husband Lance Bailey); grandchildren - offspring of Klaus Jr. – J. Seth Kowarsch and Jude Kowarsch (by first wife Stella Mekel) and Zinnia Wang and Daniel Wang (stepkids by wife Karina); great-grandchildren – offspring of Christopher Stover - Elijah, Benjamin and Abigail Stover; great-grandchildren – offspring of Cecily Balestracci - Lexie, Levi and soon to be Laden Willfried; nieces and nephews (D. Wayne Young, Terry Young, Heidi Baker, Milton Young, Etta Fischer, Teresa Harrison, Wayne Kowarsch, Starr Hurley, Carlton Boudreaux III, E. Malia Scott, Elizabeth McFarland, Darlene McCracken, Julie Miller, Rob Garren, Lisa Ishee, Jason Kowarsch, Monica Gonzalez, Sally Wolf, John Zwemer; as well as the Kowarsch, Kühnert and Faßke families in Germany.
A memorial service will be held at Crowley Seventh-day Adventist Church 3200 FM1187, Crowley, TX on Saturday November 30th in the afternoon.