Pastor Fran Harwerth passed into his heavenly home on July 1, 2025. He was ready to be with Jesus, his Savior, and his beloved wife, Joan, of 65 years. She preceded him in death September 2023. Fran's life was marked by joyful faith and humble service to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Hubert Francis "Fran" Harwerth was raised on farms near McDonald, Kansas along with his sister, Julie. His parents, Hubert and Gwen Harwerth, provided a loving home where he learned the value of hard work. One Christmas, as a young boy, he surprised his family by asking for a Bible. He was captivated by a picture inside the front cover—Jesus standing at a door and knocking. Though he didn't yet know what it meant, the image stayed with him.

During junior high, Fran and his sister began attending church. When his sister chose to be baptized, Fran followed though he had not yet trusted Christ. It was merely a meaningless ceremony for him at the time. That changed one day in a youth Bible study at the home of Art and Bonnie Isbel. There, Fran came to understand how he could personally come to know God. He knew he had been disobedient to God. He had fears about what would happen when he died. That day he understood from the Bible that while the penalty for sin is death, Christ paid the penalty on my behalf. Then he began to understand so vividly that according to the Bible (John 3:16), he was simply to believe in Jesus Christ and what He had done on the cross in dying for all the wrong things he had done. He trusted Jesus to take away his sins and come into his life. He believed that eternal life is not earned but received—freely offered by Jesus. He accepted God's gift of forgiveness and heaven by simply believing Christ for it. In that moment, the childhood image of Jesus knocking at the door came alive with meaning.

As a freshman in college in Salina, Kansas, Fran was challenged to make a life-changing decision, "Will you present yourself to the Lord in sacrificial service?" God spoke to him through the passage of Romans 12:1–2 which says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Alone in his dorm room the next day, Fran got down on his knees and offered his life to Jesus Christ. He would do whatever the Lord wanted him to do. He later wrote, "Soon after, I began to have a great desire to read and understand the Bible and apply it to my life. I began to read the Bible daily and memorize Scripture. God's Word became alive with meaning and spoke to my heart. Since that time, God's Word has been the source of constant encouragement, direction, cleansing, comfort, and joy in my life."

In the summer of 1955, Fran attended Maranatha Bible Camp which he had known about from literature he had received. Previously, he had attended the Young Life Camp in Colorado but because it cost $25 a week, he was attracted to the $6.50 a week at Maranatha. There he heard Dr. L. E. Maxwell, then President of Prairie Bible Institute, Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, and Dr. Joseph Schmidt, then President of Grace Bible Institute, Omaha, Nebraska. "My, how God blessed those men as they preached, and God brought conviction to my heart as I sat on those hard benches made out of 2 by 6 boards in the Old Tabernacle. God mightily spoke to me through the messages and the times of personal counsel with those men of God. After returning home from camp, I had not yet nailed down the decision of where to go to college. Dr. Schmidt sent me a letter. He did not tell me what to do. He just shared a word of encouragement, but God used his letter to bring me to an immediate decision that I needed to transfer to Grace Bible Institute in the fall. Next to salvation and dedication to Christ's service, my decision to attend Grace was of great importance. It grounded me in the Word of God."

In the fall of 1955, Fran and Joan enrolled at Grace Bible Institute in Omaha, Nebraska. He says, "There I met the wonderful girl who would become my wife, Joan Nussbaum. the love of my life."  Partway through his studies, Fran's father suddenly passed away. He had to returned home to bring in the wheat harvest, care for the cattle, and oversee the sale of the farm equipment. After moving his mother to McDonald, he returned to Grace in Omaha and proposed to Joan. She said, "yes". Though Joan had a significant adrenal condition and doctors were unsure whether she could have children, Fran was unfazed. He loved her deeply and they shared a calling to serve Christ together.

They were married on August 16, 1958, in Berne, Indiana, and soon after moved to Winona Lake, Indiana, where Fran attended Grace Theological Seminary. Joan worked as a mission's editor for the Free Methodist Headquarters while they ministered on weekends at a small church in Idaville, Indiana.

Fran graduated from seminary in May 1961. Their first miracle baby, Scott, was born the end of that summer. Two week later the young family moved to Colby, Kansas, to begin a church plant. On September 17, 1961, in the basement of City Hall, the first service of Colby Berean Church was held. He often said, "There were 5 in attendance and 3 of them was us." Besides the Harwerths, one older couple was in attendance. That evening, three more families joined for Bible study. From these humble beginnings, God built a thriving church over the next 44 years. Their second son, Brent, was born in 1963 who was another miracle they hadn't expected.

For nearly 44 years, Pastor Fran and Joan served faithfully at Colby Berean Church (1961 to 2005). He loved the fact that he got paid to study the Bible. Fran devoted his life to serving Jesus Christ and proclaiming the gospel of free grace. He had many opportunities to preach, teach, and lead. He especially enjoyed his years of leadership at Maranatha Bible Junior Camp making a lasting impression on generations of campers. When the opportunity arose to train pastors in India, he willingly accepted the call and spent a month teaching there, an experience that thrilled his heart and expanded his ministry's reach.

His ministry was marked by endurance, love, and gospel clarity. They raised their family alongside the church where they formed lifelong friendships and saw God's hand at work in countless lives.

After retiring in 2005, Fran and Joan began a new adventure with Interim Pastor Ministries. Over the next 10 years, they served 9 different churches, often helping congregations heal after difficult seasons. With warmth, humility, and gospel hope, they brought peace where there had been pain. Their passion was always the same. They wanted to help people find the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus and grow to serve Him.

When he moved to Fort Morgan, he didn't stop serving. He helped wherever he could. He taught children with Joan in Good News Club. He loved all those around him. He always reached out to the children, and they loved him.

Fran was known not only for his faithful preaching but for his joyful heart. He had a wonderful sense of humor, a twinkle in his eye, and a deep compassion for others. He delighted in and was grateful for his children, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He talked fondly of their wives and how they had married up. He prayed for them, encouraged them, and rejoiced in their lives.

Fran was a man who not only received the grace of God but dedicated his life to sharing it. He was never content just to know forgiveness, he longed to help others discover the same gift he had received as a teenager in a small Kansas parsonage. His message was always clear and powerful: eternal life is a gift, freely offered by Jesus Christ to all who believe in Him for it.

Now, in the presence of Christ, Fran and Joan have both heard the words: "Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Lord."

Fran is survived by his two sons:

Scott Harwerth (Ginger), of Laurel, Maryland; they operate a plant scaping business

Brent Harwerth (Valerie), who serve at Berean Bible Church in Fort Morgan, Colorado, where Brent is pastor.

Nine grandchildren: Nathaniel (Ashley), Stephen (Anna), Trevor (Mallory), Paul, Luke, Derek (Ellen), Amanda, Jason, and Charissa Tschetter (Samuel);

And 10 great-grandchildren: Titus, Elizabeth (Ellie), Caleb, William (Liam), Ezra, Abigail, Maria, Sarah, Jane Tschetter, and Isabell.

He is also survived by his sister, Julie Layne;

Fran was preceded in death by his parents, Hubert and Gwen Harwerth; his brother-in-law Gene Layne; and his nephew Mark Layne.

A service celebrating Fran's life and legacy will be held on Friday, July 18th at 10:00 AM in the air-conditioned chapel at Rowanoak Mortuary, 231 South Sherman Street, Fort Morgan, Colorado. A graveside service will follow. All are invited to a fellowship luncheon at Berean Bible Church, 211 West Beaver Avenue, immediately afterward.

Condolences may be sent by mail to 710 Lincoln Street, Fort Morgan, CO 80701, by phone at (970) 380-6867, or by email at brentharwerth@gmail.com.

Fran's legacy is one of grace, truth, and enduring faith. He fought the good fight. He finished the race. While he is deeply missed, we do not grieve without hope—for we know that because of Jesus, we will one day see him again. Until then, his influence continues in the lives of all who knew and loved him.

"To God be the glory—great things He has done!"