Loretta Elizabeth Grothe

God’s heavenly choir gained a beautiful voice on September 28, 2026, when Loretta Elizabeth Larson Grothe of Astoria, Oregon (b. 1938) passed into glory.  Loretta was born in Falun Township, Minnesota. She was one of ten children born to parents, Oscar Larson and Edith Mattson Larson.

Loretta attended Falun Country School in Falun, Minnesota. In order to attend Roseau High School, she moved to Roseau, Minnesota to live with sister, Fern, and brother-in-law Wendell. While attending high school, she helped in caring for Fern and Wendell’s five girls. Loretta spoke many times of how this experience prepared her for the six children she would later take on as her own. She graduated from high school in 1956. Loretta began working at Citizens State Bank in Roseau during high school and continued after graduation.

She was a faithful servant of God and very involved in her Covenant Church. Loretta sang with a women’s quartet, traveling to various churches. She also sang with The King’s Messengers, a local traveling choir. The group produced a vinyl recording.

On June 21, 1969, she married widower Alvin Grothe and became a pastor’s wife and mother to his six children. They moved to Stacy, Minnesota in August 1969 and then to Astoria, Oregon in August 1975. 

Loretta’s greatest joys in life were God, her husband, family, and her church. She always had time for family and friends. Some of her favorite times were family events when everyone was together. There was always room at her table for others, and invariably there was hot coffee in the pot. She enjoyed phone calls and visits from friends and family and always wanted the most current photos of all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She kept a detailed list of birthdays and never missed a single one. Loretta was a prayer warrior who prayed for her family every day, and the many prayers she prayed will follow them. She was a dedicated woman when it came to what she believed in and cared for. She was like Alvin when it came to her beliefs: She didn’t just talk the talk; she walked the walk.

Loretta was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and sisters Fern (Wendell) Hamerl, Norma (Dean) Thompson, Lyla (Byron) Johnson, Linda (Loyal) Westeen; and brothers Milo (Kay), Donald, Dan, Eugene (Adeline), Lester (Marion), Orville (Leona); and other family members and dear friends.

She is survived by her children Terry Owenby (Jeff), James Grothe, Susan Lynch (Michael), Kathy Olson (Larry), Kelly Grothe (Lois), Joel Grothe, a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and cherished friends.

A funeral service will be held for Loretta at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Bethany Lutheran Church in Astoria. The service will be streamed live at https://bethanyfree.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the WMF (Women’s Missionary Federation), of which Loretta was a longtime member: 

Bethany Free Lutheran WMF 451-34th St. Astoria, OR 97103