Friedensau Adventist University mourns the loss of its former teacher Wolfgang Hartlapp

"Your steadfast love, O Lord, extend to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light do we see light" (Psalm 36:5 and 9).

Friedensau Adventist University mourns the loss of its former teacher

Wolfgang Hartlapp

*20.03.1929 † 10.03.2022

Shortly before his 94th Birthday, the Bible teacher and lecturer Wolfgang Hartlapp, who taught the subjects Biblical Studies, Dogmatics, Advent History and Homiletics for more than 30 years in Friedensau and shaped generations of students and pupils, passed away last Thursday in Friedensau. Wolfgang Hartlapp was born on March 20, 1929 in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz. After graduating from high school in 1947, he began training as a pastor in Friedensau. Due to the shortage of pastors in the post-war period, he was able to shorten his study time and enter into fulltime ministry of the Free Church of Seventh-Day Adventists in 1949.

In 1952 he married Lisbeth Kipnick, and together they had three children. As a preaching family they lived and worked first in Halle, then in Naumburg, Halberstadt in the Harz region, and later in Leipzig, before Wolfgang Hartlapp was called to Friedensau in 1963. He worked here until his retirement in 1994.

In addition to teaching, Wolfgang Hartlapp served as the director of the home in the so-called "Brüderflügel" for many years, enjoyed playing fistball with the students and devoted himself to the small observatory. When in January 1982 the first foreign students came to study at FAU, he took special care of them. During that time, he also founded the Friedensau School- and Local-Archives, became Friedensau's chronicler, and in 2009 published the book "Wanderer, kommst du nach Friedensau (translation: Wanderer, Come to Friedensau)" which records Friedensau's history in stories. After the archives of the Free Church of Seventh-Day Adventists of Europe moved to Friedensau in 1997, he volunteered his time there before retiring from all his duties in 2015.

Wolfgang Hartlapp remained in Friedensau until his passing. Together with his family we mourn and remember our brother Wolfgang Hartlapp with great gratitude.

Mario Brito | Chairman of the Board of Trustees                  Prof. Dr. Roland E. Fischer | Rector                     Tobias H. Koch | Chancellor

The funeral service with burial will be held on Thursday, March 17, 2022, 1:00 pm, in the chapel in Friedensau, An der Ihle 5.