The Rev. Harlan Heier of Lincoln died on Oct. 20, 2025. He was 94.

Harlan Frederick Heier was born on Oct. 14, 1931 in Wayne, Nebraska, to Frederick and Helena “Lena” (Bartling) Heier. He graduated from Wayne (Nebraska) High School in 1948, Midland Lutheran College in 1953, Central Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1955, and received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago in 1978. He married Shirley June Larsen on June 28, 1953 in Ruskin, Nebraska. She preceded him in death on May 8, 2017.

Harlan celebrated 70 years of ministry this year; he was ordained in what was then the United Lutheran Church in America in 1955. He served as an intern in Davenport, Iowa, and as head pastor at churches in Verdon, Schuyler, York and Newman Grove, all in Nebraska, before retiring in 1997. While in York, he also served as the chaplain at the Nebraska Women’s Reformatory. After retirement, he served as a supply and interim pastor for several congregations and as visitation pastor at First Lutheran Church in Lincoln. As a pastor, he enjoyed sharing the lives of his parishioners, the happy times along with the sad.

Harlan loved words: for most of his adult life he completed a daily crossword puzzle (in pen!), and he was an avid reader of all genres, from dusty theological volumes to pulp thrillers. He even wrote a book, “The Cross and Our Witness,” a book of Lenten chancel dramas and meditations, published by Augsburg Fortress in 1990. He enjoyed spending time with and caring for his family along with the many friends he and Shirley made everywhere they lived, including the last ten years at Legacy Estates in Lincoln. Family vacations were important to him: every summer Harlan and Shirley would pack up the kids and head out, usually to the mountains somewhere, and after the kids were grown they would spread their wings a little further, traveling to Hawaii, Alaska and Europe, often accompanied by family members. He loved live cultural events: he and Shirley were longtime patrons of several community playhouses and concert series. His family and friends will cherish the memory of his warm smile, his hearty laugh, his wisdom and most of all his faith, expressed not just in the words of his sermons but in the way he treated all he met with kindness and respect.  

Survivors include: children Craig Heier, Lincoln; Beth (Neal) Lurz, Leawood, Kansas; Keith (Pam) Heier, Kenesaw, Nebraska; Joyce (Dan) Templeton, Omaha, Nebraska; Kent (Janice) Heier, St. Joseph, Missouri; and Deanne (Paul) Scheel, Lincoln, Nebraska; 13 grandchildren; 7 great-grandchildren; brother Byron (Barbara) Heier, Wayne, Nebraska; sisters-in-law Betty Heier, Wayne, Nebraska, Eleanor (Charles) Stiles, Superior, Nebraska, and Joanne McChesney, Lincoln; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Harlan was preceded in death by his wife Shirley; by his parents Fred and Lena; by his in-laws, Howard and Mildred Larsen, and Shirley’s stepmom Beulah Larsen; by sister Twila Wiltse and brother Darrel Heier; by brothers-in-law Jim Purcell, Rowan Wiltse, Jim McChesney and Hugo Westphal; by sister-in-law Kathleen Westphal; and by grandson Ryan Lurz.

Viewing will be held on Sunday, Oct.26, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with family present from 2 to 4 p.m. at Butherus, Maser & Love Funeral Home, 4040 A Street, Lincoln, Nebraska. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct.27, 2025, at First Lutheran Church, 1551 S. 70th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to First Lutheran Church of Lincoln or the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Source: https://www.bmlfh.com/obituary/harlan-heier