Rev. John Quintus Dede

The Rev. John Dede died peacefully on January 3, 2025, after a brief illness. His daughter, Elizabeth, was by his side. John was a faithful pastor in the Lutheran Church and served most of his ministry in Florida. He was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI., but did not like winter. While still a seminary student, he met Ginger Stallmann in Holyoke, MA, and one year later they were married. Their first assignment was to Selma, AL, in 1956. At the time, the South was rigidly segregated, and public education was not available for African American people. They served five small Lutheran Churches, which also had schools. In addition, John was a professor of Latin at Alabama Lutheran, an HBCU in Selma. Their daughter, Susan, was born in Selma in 1957. Later that year, the family was sent to Nigeria, West Africa. John served seven Lutheran Churches and was principal of the Lutheran Academy near Eket. A daughter died in infancy there, and in 1960, their daughter, Jocelyn, was born. Later that year, Nigeria...