LARRY G. TIEDJE
Larry Gene Tiedje went home to be with the Lord on May 22, 2026, at the age of 80.
Born on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1945, in Holdrege, Nebraska, Larry was raised both in the community of Cambridge and on a small farm near Arapahoe. He was the son of Evelyn Hambidge Tiedje, a teacher and homemaker, and Walter Richard Tiedje, an electrician and farmer.
He attended Cambridge Elementary School and continued his education at Arapahoe Junior and Senior High School, where he excelled in athletics. A talented basketball player, he was named to the Class C All-State Tournament Team. He also was the first football player from Arapahoe selected to play in the Nebraska All-Star Shrine Game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
His athletic achievements continued at the collegiate level, where he played three years of football at Nebraska Wesleyan University. It was at Nebraska Wesleyan that he met his college sweetheart, Linda K. Ramsey. The two were married on December 22, 1968, beginning a lifelong partnership rooted in love and faith.
He earned his B.S. from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1969, followed by a D.D.S. from the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry in 1972. Later, in 1986, he graduated with honors from Denver Seminary with a Master of Arts in World Missions. As part of his degree, he studied the animistic belief system of the Irigwe tribe and authored a short history on the growth of the church in that tribe and the eventual decline of their animistic belief system.
From 1972 to 1974, he served his country as a Navy dentist at Camp Pendleton, California during the Vietnam War.
Following his service, he established a private dental practice in Sioux City, Iowa. In 1977, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ, a turning point that led to a profound commitment to live for things of eternal value. This commitment culminated in a call to missionary service in 1978. For two decades he served as a missionary, first with SIM, operating dental clinics and engaging in discipleship ministry in Nigeria and Liberia. When the Liberian Civil War erupted, he helped launch a refugee relief and church planting ministry in Ivory Coast among Liberians who had fled the war. He later operated the New Tribes Dental Clinic in Papua New Guinea. His missionary work was characterized by deep cultural sensitivity, intellectual curiosity, and a passion for the Gospel.
In 2015, he returned to Liberia to offer aid during the Ebola crisis.
There, he was invited to address the Senate Chamber of the Republic of Liberia, where he shared a message from John 20, challenging the Vice President and senators to be models of servant leadership.
Even in his later years, after major hand surgery ended his clinical and overseas missions work, he continued to pray daily for the world’s remaining unreached people groups and for the persecuted church across the globe. Additionally, he launched an online “Persecuted Church” channel, producing and sharing videos designed to raise awareness and inspire prayer for those facing persecution.
He loved biking and especially enjoyed riding the 185-mile C&O Towpath Trail from Cumberland, Maryland to Georgetown, D.C., a journey he made several times. He will be remembered for his incredible generosity, not only to his family and grandchildren but to friends far and near, and also for his lighthearted sense of humor.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Evelyn and Walter Tiedje; his two brothers, John and Richard Tiedje; and his niece Sonya Wilder.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Linda; his daughters and their spouses, Kristen and Mike Staggers, and Holly and Chris Sortman; his cherished grandchildren, Holly and Michael Staggers, and Spencer, Saige, Piper and Orly Sortman; his sister, Anita Borman; and several nieces and nephews.
His life was one of service, sacrifice, and unwavering faith. He lived for the glory of God, firmly believing that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfi ed in Him. His legacy endures in the lives he touched, the Gospel he proclaimed, and the fruit of his faithful prayer life.
A memorial service will be celebrated at Hope Bible Church, 9112 Guilford Road, Columbia, MD 21046 on June 8th, 2026 at 11:30 am.
Live Stream Link: https://www.youtube. com/@HopeBible-Church/streams Private interment to be held at Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery.
Contributions may be made in Larry’s memory to Kingdom Rain at https://www.kingdomrain. org/larry . Kingdom
Rain equips leaders to build disciple making movements in the least-reached regions of the world. They work in regions where there is little or no indigenous Christian church.
