Having pastored eight congregations, Dick Los was known as a compassionate man with a pastoral heart. People appreciated him for his humility, his wisdom, his calm demeanor, his sense of humor, and his ability to meet people wherever they were on life’s journey. Young people loved him as a catechism teacher. Los died May 13 in his 97th year.
Born in Sassenheim, the flower bulb region of the Netherlands where his father was a bulb farmer/grower, Los knew from a young age that he wanted to be a pastor. He studied at the seminary in Kampen, the Netherlands, but had to study from home during World War II. He often told his family stories about the war and how he worked for the underground as a young man.
He was ordained in 1950, just 10 days after his wedding, and began ministry in Stellendam, the Netherlands. In 1956 he went on to Ferwerd before accepting a call to Canada in 1959. He then served six churches in Ontario: Georgetown Christian Reformed Church; Mountainview CRC in Grimsby; Ebenezer CRC in Jarvis; Cephas CRC in Peterborough; Covenant CRC in Woodstock; and First CRC of Kemptville. Los also served the denomination in various other ways over the years. For example, in 1973 he was on the first Synodical study committee about women in ecclesiastical office.
While in active ministry and into retirement, Los’s hobby was vegetable gardening. After retirement in 1988 he began woodworking, building clocks, doll cradles, and other beautiful items. He also worked part-time as a pastor to seniors and preached monthly in the Ontario CRCs of Brockville and Listowel, until he was 78 years old.
Los will be missed by his six children and their spouses, 24 grandchildren, and 48 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased, in 2009, by Alice, his beloved wife for almost 59 years.
About the Author
A former nurse and chaplain, Janet Greidanus is a freelance news correspondent and long-time writer of the In Memoriam column for The Banner.
