JOHN ERNEST GAUS of Bloomington, Ind., 88, a retired Elder of the Indiana Conference, died Saturday, March 23, 2013, in a head-on car collision. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 100 N. State Road 46 Bypass in Bloomington. He was ordained into the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) and was pastor to congregations in western Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. During this time, he also earned a Masters in Theology from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. In 1963, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to serve as Field Director for the Wisconsin Council of Churches as he was always passionate about ecumenical work. In 1970, he earned a Ph.D. in Adult Education from the University of Wisconsin. He was a professor of Adult Education at Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.; Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.; and Morehead University, Morehead, Ky. Later, he returned to his beloved ecumenical work as Executive Director of the United Religious Community in South Bend, Ind. In his final employment, he joined the United Methodist Church as a pastor and served congregations in Indianapolis and Aurora, Ind., retiring in Bloomington in 1989. Survivors include his wife Jessica Gaus, children Kathie Gaus-Woollen, Wilmington, Del.; Donna Gaus, Malacatos, Ecuador; Evan Gaus, Temple, Texas; and Paula Turk of Elkhart, Ind.; and five grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be made to the Mission Outreach at Saint Mark”s United Methodist Church, 100 N. State Road 46 Bypass, Bloomington, IN 47408. Condolences can be sent to Jessica Gaus, 2638 E. Dekist Street, Bloomington, IN 47408.
