Ernie T. Loreen
November 6, 1926 - October 4, 2020
Ernie Loreen was a leader by example, a steadfast advocate for social justice, a pillar of the community, and at his very core, an extraordinary family man.
Born in Bellingham, he developed a love of farming early in his life. Before long, his chicken flock overtook the garage and his parents acquiesced and moved to the county so he could have more space to farm. While in college at Western Washington University, he met the love of his life, Lola Samuelson.
Ernie and Lola were married in 1950 and thus began their incredible 70-year adventure together. Lola and Ernie’s work
serving the church took them across the country, first to Lutheran Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois, where Ernie became a pastor, and then to Canada where he was called to lead the congregation at Augustana
Lutheran in Vancouver. After almost eight years in Vancouver, he accepted a call to a two-church parish in Creston, B.C. All the while, Ernie and Lola raised their family of six children and fostered a welcoming community wherever they went.
Eventually, they settled at Point Roberts on land given to them by Lola’s parents. The family finished building their
beautiful homestead there in 1975. Ernie loved nothing more than spending time in his garden or with his farm animals, surrounded by family and friends.
Ernie supported his family through a variety of jobs. You may remember seeing
him in his earlier days working at Nielson’s lumber yard, pumping gas at Ben’s Store, as
a baker, a farmer, a cemetery commissioner, a builder, or volunteering at the food bank. What may stand out brightest amidst all his roles was as pastor of Trinity Community Lutheran Church, where he welcomed all people with open arms and open doors.
In this role, Ernie hosted a wide variety of events including Earth Day commemorations, as care of the Earth was particularly close to Ernie’s heart.
No matter what he was doing, Ernie lived his life with kindness and love which he spread to everyone around him. Family and community were of the utmost importance to Ernie. He was always quick to lend a helping hand and did his best to support others in any way he could.
Ernie and Lola’s home has always been a meeting place for family and friends. There they hosted many wonderful events
over the years such as advent wreath making in the barn, soup suppers, ebelskivers for Shrove Tuesday and countless celebrations for family and friends, always with a plethora of food.
Ernie’s love, support, and gratitude for his community remained unwavering; even during the tumult of 2020, he and Lola continued sharing joy and love with their community by waving from the end of their driveway to folks passing by.
Ernie was the North Star of his family. He passed from this realm into the next on October 4 surrounded by his loving family with his beloved wife, Lola, by his side.
Ernie went gracefully, courageously and lovingly, just as he lived his life. He will be greatly missed by his sweetheart, Lola, their six children, 10 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a vast network of extended family and all those who knew him. His extraordinary presence and loving spirit will shine on us and guide us, encouraging us to be kind, welcoming and loving to one another, while also working for social justice, for in his own words, “we are all relatives.”
If you feel moved to do so, please donate in Ernie’s honor to Trinity Community Lutheran Church or your favorite social justice organization. One of Ernie’s last wishes was to live long enough to vote in the upcoming election. Please honor Ernie by remembering to vote.
