Reverend Dr. Melvin Elling Lorentzen, age 79, a resident of Windsor Park Manor in Carol Stream, Illinois, and formerly of Wheaton, Illinois, died suddenly, Saturday, January 15. He was born on November 17, 1925 in Chicago to Rev. Peter and Anna Lorentzen.

Dr. Lorentzen was ordained 50 years ago as a Minister of the Gospel in the Northshore Baptist Church, Chicago, Illinois, where he served as Associate Minister. He became Interim Pastor at Albany Park Baptist Church, Chicago, upon the sudden death of his father Rev. Peter Lorentzen, who was their current Pastor. He also served as Pastor of the Park Ridge Baptist Church, Park Ridge, Illinois. He held a B.A.degree from Wheaton College, a Master of Divinity and Dr. of Divinity degrees from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Chicago, and a Master of Literature from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.

For about 30 years, he was a Professor in the English Dept. of Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Following this, he was Associate Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. Wlhile his church membership was at Calvary Baptist Church, New York City, he attended Wheaton Bible Church and the First Baptist Church, Wheaton.

Dr. Lorentzen made frequent trips to New York City preaching at Calvary Baptist Church and also mentoring Christian people in the New York City Fine Arts Group. He led his Bedford Center Creative Writing Seminars for many summers, at the Green Lake Baptist Assembly Grounds, Green Lake, Wisconsin. He was the primary writer with Billy Graham for Dr. Graham's biography, "Just As I Am", and lived and traveled with Dr. Graham often during the writing of this book.

He is survived by one sister, Effie (Theodore) Anderson of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, a niece, Rev. Lynda (Martin) Johnson, and three nephews, David (Sherri) Anderson, Peter Anderson, and Dan (Marion) Anderson, two great nephews and three great-nieces.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 19th from 2 until 6 p.m. at the Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton, Illinois. A memorial service will be held on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. in the Auditorium of Windsor Park Manor, Carol Stream, Illinois.

Interment will be held privately at Mt. Olive Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.

Memorials may be directed to Wheaton College, Northern Baptist Seminary, or Johnson Health Care Center at Windsor Park Manor, Carol Stream, Illinois.

For more information and on-line guest book see hultgrenfh.com or contact Hultgren Funeral Home in Wheaton at 630-668-0027.