Rev Alden J Asbornsen

The Reverend Alden J. Asbornsen, 83, of Webster, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, April 2, at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge, Massachusetts. A faithful servant, devoted husband and loving father, Alden touched countless lives with his kindness, words, humor and grace. Alden was born the son of John and Elsie Asbornsen on June 24, 1933, in Staten Island, New York. The third of seven siblings, Alden spent most of his childhood in Hillsdale, New Jersey. Upon graduating high school, he attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where he met his future wife, Esther June Fahs. The couple was happily married from 1957 until Esther’s death in 2006. After completing his higher education, Alden spent a career in civil service, first as a high school social studies teacher in Vestal, New York, and then as a human resources professional in two New York state government agencies, the Department of Labor in Binghamton and the Department of Mental Hygiene in Albany. An avid reader and scholar of the Bible, Alden pursued a second career as a Christian minister upon his retirement from New York State. In 1995, he was ordained by the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church. He served as pastor of the Esperance-Sloansville United Methodist Church from 1992 to 1998. Afterward, he and Esther moved to Mallard’s Pond Lane in Guilderland, New York, where Alden resided until 2015. Alden is survived by three sons, Harold, Jon and Lars Asbornsen, three grandchildren, several brothers- and sisters-in-law and numerous nephews and nieces. His family and friends will miss his gentle soul and smiling eyes. Calling hours will be Thursday, April 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. at DeMarco-Stone Funeral Home, 5216 Western Avenue, Guilderland, New York. A memorial service will take place Friday, April 7, at 9 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by interment at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Guilderland.