Estes Park Community to Celebrate Life of Roger Fjeld, Seminary President and Church Co-Founder

Estes Park residents and visitors are invited to a celebration of the life of Roger Fjeld, a prominent local figure who was instrumental in the establishment of Shepard of the Mountain Lutheran Church. The service will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at the church in Estes Park, Colorado, and will also be livestreamed.

Roger Fjeld, who retired to Estes Park in 1999 with his beloved wife, Marilyn, passed away recently, joining Marilyn, his son Stuart, his parents Oscar and Alice, and his brother Charles. He is survived by his sister Beverly; his daughter Karen and granddaughter Jenesis; and his son Doug and partner Michelle, along with grandchildren Cassidy, Hunter, Rosalie, and great-granddaughter Coraline.

Upon moving to Estes Park, Roger and Marilyn embraced their new mountain home, a place they had grown to love during earlier visits to Rocky Mountain National Park while residing in Denver. They were among the first residents of the Good Samaritan Retirement community, moving in while much of it was still under construction, and lived there for more than two decades. Roger notably contributed to the Estes Park community by assisting with fundraising for the new mission congregation, Shepard of the Mountain Lutheran Church.

Fjeld’s extensive career in the Lutheran Church spanned decades, culminating in his presidency of Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, a role he held from 1983 until his retirement in 1999. During his tenure as president, he cherished the opportunity to mentor and teach church history to senior students. He often emphasized that his career was a joint effort with Marilyn, who became known as the campus “Mom” at Wartburg Seminary, mentoring many pastors' spouses.

Before his presidency, Roger served in several key administrative roles. He was an Executive Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the American Lutheran Church, with specific responsibilities for the merger and development of the new Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). From 1973 to 1982, he became the first Director of the Office of Support to Ministries, a new office he was recruited by the Presiding Bishop to establish. He also served as Pastor to the Seminary Community and Coordinator in Internships at Wartburg from 1971 to 1973, following a year as Executive Assistant to Bishop Archie Madsen of the Central District of the American Lutheran Church.

Roger's early calls were to mission congregations. He served Christ Lutheran Church in Sedalia, Missouri, from 1959 to 1965, where he and Marilyn adopted their two children, Stuart Alan and Karen Kay. His second call was to Atonement Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado, from 1965 to 1969, during which time their youngest son, Douglas Dean, was adopted. While in Denver, Roger also pursued higher education, completing a Master of Reformation and Renaissance History and a Ph.D. in American Intellectual History from the University of Colorado – Boulder in 1971.

Born on July 13, 1933, in Primghar, Iowa, Roger was the eldest son of Oscar and Alice Fjeld. He attended school and worked on the family farm, where music was an important part of household life. He learned piano and played trombone in high school. Self-taught on the organ, he was active at Grace Lutheran in Primghar, where he was confirmed. Roger was also the valedictorian of his high school class.

He continued his education at the University of Iowa, initially intending to study Pharmacy before earning a BA in General Science in 1955. His involvement with Lutheran Campus Ministries there proved life-changing, sparking his interest in theology and leading him to meet Marilyn Burrack. They married in April 1955. Roger then attended Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, graduating with a Master of Divinity in 1959 and being ordained that May. His internship year was spent in San Francisco in 1957.

Travel remained a significant value for the Fjeld family, continuing into Roger and Marilyn's retirement with numerous trips, often cruising with friends and family worldwide. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to Wartburg Seminary (designated for the Fjeld Family Endowment) or to Shepard of the Mountain Lutheran Church.