OCEAN PARK – Albert John Wollen, 91, died Nov. 22, 2008, in Ocean Park. He was born Oct. 24, 1917, to Albert John Wollen and Elizabeth Brandsma of Edam, Saskatchewan. He was raised in Edam and North Battleford.

By the time he graduated from high school he was an accomplished locksmith, clock repairman and carpenter. He built his first house when he was 19 years old.

Reverend Albert Wollen began his ministry in Seattle in 1942 while attending Simpson Bible College. He lived in a small house on Lake Washington where he built a 17-foot sailboat, often used to sail throughout the Puget Sound. Upon graduation from college, he enrolled in Gordon Theological Seminary and moved to Boston where he met Roberta Versefelt. The couple married on Sept. 9, 1944.

Mr. Wollen graduated from Gordon Seminary Suma Cum Laude in 1947. Upon graduation he and his wife began moving west across the lower 48 states. While moving west he co-founded Village Missions, an organization working to reopen churches that had been closed during the depression and WWII. In 1951 He was called to pastor Cedar Mill Bible Church (CMBC) in Portland where he built the parsonage and where he and wife raised their three sons. In the early 1960s he developed a small group ministry through the church. He wrote and published a book based upon small group Bible study. They continued their ministry at CMBC until 1982. Upon retirement they traveled with the Luis Palau Team. In 2001 they moved to Ocean Park where they enjoyed full retirement.

Mr. Wollen found joy in his garden, woodshop and on the river fishing. He continued to write and shared his faith daily with the surrounding community.

Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Roberta of Ocean Park; sons, Albert Jr, Walter, and Gordon; five grandchildren; one great-granddaughter and his two sisters, Drieny Crowston of Portland and Lyda Anderson of Bloomington, Minn. His life verse was Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (NIV)

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at Cedar Mill Bible Church at 12208 NW Cornell Road in Portland. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Cedar Mill Bible Church and Luis Palau Association.