Theodore (Ted) John Vinger, 93, died on September 11, 2022, at his home in Rochester, Minnesota. Ted’s life was full of love and service to his family, friends, and communities. He was born on December 31, 1928, in Stanley, Wisconsin, and was raised there by Edith and Victor Vinger.
On January 15, 1955, he married Alice Jane Maland, whom he had met and fallen in love with on a blind date. They spent 59 wonderful years together, until Jane’s death in 2014, and had three children - Tim, Sara, and Mary. He was a devoted husband and father, always ready with a word of praise, advice, or encouragement, teaching his family that nothing can separate them from the boundless love and presence of God.
Ted attended St. Olaf College, graduating with a B.A. in 1950. After college, he taught high school in Montana for a few years before enrolling at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1957 he was ordained as a minister in the American Lutheran Church (ALC). He spent the next 35 years serving parishes in St. Louis Park, Blooming Prairie, and Kenyon, Minnesota, as well as Manitowoc, Wisconsin, retiring as senior pastor at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1992. Along the way, he also spent two years as a writer and editor at Augsburg Publishing House.
Ted was preceded in death by his sister Ruth, who is survived by her husband Dick. Ted is survived by his sister Christine and her husband Jim; son Tim and his wife Katie; daughter Sara and her husband Scott; daughter Mary; grandchildren Alex, Molly, Ben, Jennifer, and Andrew; great-grandchildren Mira, Alice, Mayson, and Owen; and several nieces and nephews and their families. He will be deeply missed.
A memorial service celebrating Ted’s life will be held at 11:00 AM Saturday, October 15, 2022, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 2830 18th Ave NW, Rochester, Minnesota. Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM until time of the service. Burial will be at Zumbrota Cemetery. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com
