Arlen Joseph Foss was born on January 15, 1934, on a farm near Sherman, South Dakota, to Joseph and Inga Foss. He was brought into fellowship with the Lord in Holy Baptism on March 4, 1934. On June 5, 1949, he was confirmed in the Christian faith by the Rev. C. A. Gisselquist.
He graduated from Jasper High School in Pipestone County in June of 1952. In the fall of that year he entered Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he graduated in June of 1956.
Feeling the call of God to the ministry, he entered Luther Theological Seminary in the autumn of 1956. Here Arlen met the girl who would become the love of his life, LaVonne Manzey, at a social gathering between the seminary students and the nursing students from Hamline, LaVonne's alma mater. On September 7, 1958, he married LaVonne, who was from rural Sherburn, Minnesota.
He served his internship in St. James Lutheran in north Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the year 1958-1959 under the guidance of Pastor Palmer B. Wold.
Following Arlen's ordination on June 5, 1960, the couple moved to Lake Benton, Minnesota, where Arlen had been called to serve his first parish, English Lutheran Church.
The call to Trinity Lutheran Church in Madelia, Minnesota, came in 1968. In Madelia, Arlen served as a member of the Rotary club and the school board for many years.
American Lutheran Church of Worthington, Minnesota, called Arlen to serve in 1988, and he served as pastor there until his retirement in 2001. In Worthington, Arlen served as a member of Kiwanis, the board of the YMCA, the school board, and the hospice cottage, as well as the Friends of Memorial Auditorium. He wrote and MC'd "Corn Off the Cob", an entertaining program of music and humor which raised money for Memorial Auditorium's programming. The Albs was a performing group founded by Arlen with two others, and a Christmas concert was presented annually to benefit the Christmas basket program of Nobles County.
Following his retirement, Arlen served as an interim pastor for several parishes in the region, as well as providing pulpit supply for many congregations of various denominations, even following his diagnosis of esophageal cancer.
Summary of Dad's loves:
Arlen's Norwegian heritage and his family were very important to him, and international family reunions were held numerous times from the mid-1980's to the present day.
His humor was known far and wide, along with the escapades of "Pastor Fuss".
Hunting was a great passion, as were the dogs that accompanied him. Arlen's first dog as a child was a Chihuahua named Pal. Black Labrador retrievers became the breed of choice as an adult, beginning with Gypsy and followed by Cinderella, Birch, Black Pepper, Jetta Babe, Jetter, and Kaiya, who all preceded him to the eternal hunting fields. Gracey is the surviving companion and will continue her faithfulness to the Fosses by living, hunting and fishing with Arlen's son Craig.
Arlen also enjoyed fishing, and he and LaVonne built a lakeside cabin on Leech Lake in the mid-1960s, where many an hour was spent in the boat, fishing or just enjoying family time. There was an annual men's fishing trip to Lac Seul, Canada, for 20 years, which included many of the men of American Lutheran Church in Worthington.
Awards:
The communities that Arlen served recognized him for his service and accomplishments a number of times. His awards included the Augustana College (Sioux Falls) Alumni Achievement Award, Worthington Chamber of Commerce Volunteer Award, and YMCA Service Recognition Award.
Arlen was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, LaVonne, of Worthington, MN; children: Craig Foss of Scottsdale, AZ, and Marta (Larry) Telkamp of Britton, SD; and one grandchild, Katherine Telkamp.

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