Rev. Carroll French, 82, a retired clergy member of Page, Nebraska passed away Thursday, October 8, 2015, at the Good Samaritan Center in Atkinson. The Funeral service will be at 10:30 A.M., Monday, October 12, 2015, at the United Methodist Church, 110 E. Main St., Page, Nebraska. Burial will be in the Page Cemetery. Visitation will be Saturday, October 10, 2015, from 5-8 p.m., with a prayer service at 7 p.m. at Biglin’s Mortuary, 111 N 3rd St., O’Neill, Nebraska. Memorials for Carroll French will be gifted to Page United Methodist Church, Page Cemetery Association, and Samuteb Hospital in Kapanga, Dem. Rep. of Congo.
He is survived by his children: daughters, Kirsten Wettlaufer & Randy of Page, Nebraska, Inge Sthreshley & Larry of Kinshasa, D.R. of Congo; son, Niels French & Birgitte of Memphis, Tennessee. He was preceded in death by his wife, Tove French (deceased 2002).
Rev. Carroll French was born January 30, 1933 in Page, Nebraska. He was the third child of Merwyn & Florence French, Sr. The family of 4 children included Lorraine, Merwyn Jr., Carroll, & Bette. Carroll graduated from Page High School in 1950 and attended University of Nebraska College of Agriculture, graduating with a B.S. in Agriculture in 1954. Later in 1968 he would receive a M.S. in Agriculture. From 1954 to 1956 he served in the US Air Force in Big Springs, TX as 1st Lieutenant. Carroll had a curiosity and interest in missions that led him to accept a call to missionary service.
In 1957 he attended Garrett Theological Seminary for 2 quarters before joining the Board of Global Ministries of the UMC as an agriculture missionary. During his first term as a missionary in Dem. Rep. of Congo at Kapanga mission station, he met Tove Jensen, a nurse and midwife from Copenhagen, Denmark. They were married on August 2, 1958 at Kapanga mission station and would eventually serve on three other mission stations in Congo, raising their 3 children, Kirsten, Niels and Inge. As a missionary, Carroll directed numerous agricultural programs with a focus in animal husbandry. From 1968 to 1975 he was the assistant director of the Institute of Industrial and Agriculture Development in Sandoa, D.R. Congo. During this time, Tove cared for the medical needs of the missionary community, supervised medical supplies for outpatient clinics, and served as an advisor to the Congolese medical staff. When the Congolese government nationalized schools and hospitals in 1977, the Frenches moved to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso where Carroll worked for the USAID drought resistance program for 2 years. They returned to Congo in 1979 and worked in refugee resettlement programs until 1984. After surviving a heart attack, he and Tove returned to the USA for health reasons. The Frenches were loved and deeply respected by the Congolese people. They spoke both French and Urrund.
Carroll served parishes in Nebraska, while attending the United Methodist Course of Study program at St. Paul’s seminary in Kansas City. He was interim pastor at the Page UMC and the Ewing UMPC for one year. Carroll was appointed to serve the Elgin United Methodist – Park United Church of Christ yoked parish from 1986 to 1990. He served the Way – West United Methodist Parish in Potter, Nebraska from 1990 – 1994. Throughout these appointments, Tove participated extensively in United Methodist Women and United Methodist mission’s activities. In 1994, the Frenches retired to their home in Page. Carroll continued with visitation and preaching. Throughout his life, Carroll lived his faith in the loving God through his passion for service to others. He especially enjoyed visiting with people and sharing stories.
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