Published On: Mon, Aug 18th, 2014

Iris Ruth Laine

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LAINE, Iris Ruth, nee Butke, of Boca Raton, Florida, passed to a new adventure of the Spirit, as she preferred to identify the end of physical life on planet Earth, on August 14, 2014. She was an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and co-author with her husband of a university text and workbook entitled Promotion in Foodservice, published in 1972 and sole author of two books written after her ordination. Getting to Know God, published in 2001, is the story of her faith life and Dancing Spirits, published in 2007, shows the relationship between the last century’s research in quantum physics and the major religions of the world. As minister and preacher, she served at a number of churches in Palm Beach County as well as preacher at two annual conferences of the Lutheran Church Florida/Bahamas Synod. She was also the first woman minister to lead worship and preach at the chapel of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Seminary in Boynton Beach. In her retirement she volunteered as visitation minister of her local church, visiting members who were ill, hospitalized or homebound, continuing to serve some even after official retirement.

Prior to being ordained as minister at age 63, Pastor Laine had a long career in business, advertising and public relations. It began back in 1942 when she graduated from East High School in Aurora, IL. During the next forty years she served as an advertising copywriter, promotion copy chief for the Chicago Sun-Times/Daily News, twelve years as trade relations manager for the largest U.S. trade association firm, and topped off by five years as secretary/treasurer of Sunbelt Foodservice Corp, a food brokerage firm founded with her husband. She received both local and national advertising awards during these years and was listed in the 1977-78 edition of Who’s Who of American Women.

During those forty years she also managed to attend four different universities, finally earning her B.A. from Florida Atlantic University in 1981. In 1983 she entered Harvard Divinity School, followed by a year at St.Vincent de Paul Catholic Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida and then earned her M. Div. degree from the Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in

1988. In the early years of the 21st century she was listed again in Who’s Who of American Women, and also in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World.

Pr. Laine was born at 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning, February 8, 1925, at what was then St. Charles Hospital in Aurora, Illinois, delivered by Dr. Murphy and, according to her Mother, her birth was greeted by the ringing of bells at nearby St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Obviously, a triple Catholic welcome to a very Lutheran little girl. She was predeceased in death by her parents, Herman and Ella (Stallman) Butke, her sister M. Elaine Niedert, her Godson/nephew Ralph A. Niedert, Jr. and her stepson Mark S. Laine. She is survived by her husband of many happy years, Steven, her daughter Leah Ruth Lambrecht, stepchildren Karen McGivney and David Laine, six step-grandchildren, ten step-great grandchildrren, nephew Gerald Niedert, nieces Marla Osborne and Lanna Andre as well as several grand nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Gathering celebrating Pr. Laine’s life will be held at Advent Lutheran Church at Yamato Road and Dixie Hwy. in Boca Raton on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 at 11:00 a.m.

Friends who wish to remember Pr. Laine are asked to do so by deliberately extending the hand of friendship and the gift of love to anyone they meet who appears to need care and encouragement.

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