Love, Loss, and Life’s Transitions

Life is an adventure – or at least we hope it ends up that way. If we are truly lucky, we find someone to walk that path with us, from the quiet moments to the ends of the earth.

Irv has lived a blessed life. His journey has been defined by a deep love for God and a devotion to the woman who stayed by his side through decades of adventures. Theirs is a story of sacrifice, bravery, and the kind of dedication that spans decades and continents. We sat down with Irv to look back on his “First 90 Years,” a story he was happy to share. His story begins not in a faraway land, but in the strict, quiet halls of a Canadian Bible college. 

Finding Love in Unexpected Places

Irv, a farm boy from North Dakota, was finishing his senior year when Elizabeth (Liz) arrived. She was a graduate student from Washington state, certain that her life’s work was to serve as a foreign missionary. At the time, the college’s rules were iron-clad: no fraternization. But love has a way of ignoring rules. A quiet rebellion began, and by the time the school year ended, Irv and Liz knew their futures were destined to be together. 

The road to missionary work wasn’t immediate. It took them through the plains of North Dakota, where the couple were engaged, and eventually to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. While studying at Seattle Pacific, the couple spent their weekends serving a small congregation near Tacoma. In the 1950s, a young, unmarried couple traveling and working together was considered “awkward” by the congregation. Seeing their devotion, the church elders suggested, “Why wait for a summer wedding?”

They got married under the glow of the Christmas season on December 14, 1954. Irv continued serving as a pastor while they both finished their degrees at Pacific Lutheran, never losing sight of the path Liz felt called to follow. 

Across the Ocean to the Himalayas

By 1963, the dream Liz had held since her youth – to be a foreign missionary – was finally becoming a reality. Now a family of four, Irv and Liz joined The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM). With their two young daughters, Deborah and Ruth, ages five and three, they prepared to trade the familiar pines of the Pacific Northwest for a world they had only seen on maps. 

Because they were moving their lives to a country far removed from anything they’ve ever known, they packed (and packed) and boarded a freighter in Brooklyn, New York. For thirty days, the family lived in a moving city and watched the Atlantic horizon turn into the Indian Ocean. It was a month of endless seas, salty air, and anticipation of their new life and adventure that would span thirty-four years. 

Living Between Borders

Their destination was Karachi, Pakistan, specifically a school nestled in the foothills of the breathtaking Himalayas. For 18 years, Irv served as an English teacher and principal at Murree Christian School, while Liz balanced the complexities of raising three children – their son Thomas was born in Pakistan – with managing the mission’s finances. They then moved to Islamabad, where Irv served as Pastor of the Protestant International Church. He later worked as the Director of the English program for Afghan refugees.

Life in Pakistan was a tapestry of beauty and tension. While the girls attended boarding school and the family grew deep roots in the international community, the world around them was often in flux. They lived through two wars while in Pakistan, yet they felt a profound sense of belonging. To their children, Pakistan was the home they loved, full of friends and fond memories.

Into the Chaos of Kabul

As the years passed, the family’s adventure took a more dangerous turn. After the Soviets were expelled from Afghanistan, there was a deep need for education in the country. The mission felt called to help. With their kids grown and back in the U.S., Irv and Liz relocated to Kabul, Afghanistan, and later to Herat to teach English to young Afghan men, providing them with the professional tools they needed to rebuild their lives.

These were the years of “civil strife,” where six different political parties vied for control. The city of Kabul was often in chaos; shooting in the streets was common. Yet, Irv remembers it with a teacher’s heart. He and Liz were never a target; he was a guest and a guide. When things got too “hot” in Kabul and later in Herat, they would temporarily retreat to Pakistan, only to return when the dust settled. 

They remained until 1997, finally leaving the Middle East when they were ready to retire and be closer to family. 

The Long Goodbye

Irv and Liz returned to the Pacific Northwest, eventually settling in Redmond, Oregon, to be near their daughter, Ruth, and her husband, Jerry, and closer to Liz’s family in Washington. And while the threat of war outside their door passed, a different kind of challenge was on the horizon. 

Liz began to show signs of dementia. The woman who once navigated the business offices of a boarding school in Pakistan and the rugged streets of Kabul, carrying mission money in her money belt, was now facing a world that was becoming increasingly unfamiliar. 

They sold their home and moved into Juniper Springs, staying side by side for two years. Eventually, the disease progressed, and Liz required the specialized care of the Memory Care wing. For Irv, this was perhaps his greatest test of faith. To be in the same building -to be so close- yet to live apart and trust others with her care was, in his words, “very difficult.” She received hospice care from ClearPath Healthcare (then Hospice of Redmond), and after eight months, Liz passed away, leaving behind a legacy of love that spanned many decades and multiple continents. 

Transitioning into Hospice

Today, Irv is navigating his own “final frontier” with the same curiosity that took him to the Middle East in the 1960s. Now 93, he is receiving hospice care from the same organization that helped his wife. 

For a man who has lived through so much, his take on the care he and his wife receive(d) is honest and heartfelt. 

“I have never had better medical care in my whole life than what I am receiving right now.” 

He knows Ruth felt the same. 

For Irv, the complexities of medical care are much simpler now. With the support of nurses like JR and ClearPath’s medical director, Dr. Kelly, whom Irv proudly notes also has connections in the Middle East, the focus has shifted from managing illness to maintaining quality of life. Irv speaks warmly about how the ClearPath team supports those they serve. 

The Graduate

Irv continues to keep himself busy and was prompted by his children to record his adventures in his book, My First 90 Years. He looks at his time with ClearPath not as a surrender but as another phase of a life well lived. With a smile on his lips, he jokes that he may even “graduate” from ClearPath’s hospice program someday. 

From the strict halls of a Canadian Bible college to the foothills of the Himalayas, and finally to a quieter life in Central Oregon, Irv’s story proves that the greatest adventure of all is the one where you are never truly alone.