Funeral services for Dale Topp age 71 of Wisner, NE will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at the Christ Lutheran Church in Wisner, NE. Interment will be in the Pilger Cemetery with a luncheon to follow at the Wisner City Auditorium. Visitation will be on Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and will continue on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until service time at Christ Lutheran Church. There will be a Time of Sharing on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the church. Minnick Funeral Home in Wisner is handling the arrangements for the family.

Dale passed away on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at CHI-Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha, NE.
Dale Leon Topp was born December 7, 1945, at Norfolk, Nebraska, to Herman and Lydia (Eckert) Topp.

He was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Pilger.

He attended country school #35 in Wayne County, and graduated from Pilger High School in 1963. He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag economics. He was a member of Alpha Gamma Sigma Fraternity.

On December 4, 1965, he married Judith Slonecker at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Pilger. The couple were parents of two daughters, Trisha and Tracy. They lived in Lincoln and returned to rural Pilger in 1967 where Dale and his father farmed in partnership. He was employed at Pilger Sand and Gravel from 1994 to 2006 while active in farming.

He entered the Parish Ministry Program of the ELCA in 2000, becoming certified in May of 2003. As a Parish Ministry Associate, he led worship at numerous churches in Northeast Nebraska. He served St. Peter’s, rural Pender, as their Interim PMA from fall of 2003 until May of 2005. He began serving Christ Lutheran Church at Wisner as their PMA Interim in June of 2005. He was accepted into Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (Teem) Program in February of 2006, attending classes at Wartburg Theological Seminary at Dubuque, Iowa. He served Christ Lutheran Church as a TEEM candidate, graduating in May of 2009. He was ordained in June 2009 at Christ Lutheran.

His wife, Judi, died in March of 2006.
He married LaRayne (Gemelke) Meyer on May 27, 2007 at Christ Lutheran Church.

He served on the Winside School Board as a member and president. He was a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church where he served on the council, was a member of the choir, Men’s Club and Young Couple’s Club and taught Sunday School. Later, he was a member of Christ Lutheran Church.

His surviving immediate family includes wife, LaRayne; daughters and spouses Trisha and Eric Johnson of Dallas, Texas, and Tracy Topp and Matthew Marsolek of Arlee, Montana; step-children, Trish and Bill Lombard of Inwood, Iowa, Brenda and Harold Breitkreutz of Wisner, and Clinton and Hillary Meyer of Indianola, Iowa; eleven grandchildren; mother-in-law Bernitha Gemelke of Beemer; and brother and sister-in-law Larry and Karen Topp of Rye, Colorado.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Judi, parents Herman and Lydia Topp, and sister Shirle Frerichs.

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