Paul Ivaska Memorial Fund
Donation protected
On June 25, 2019, Paul Ivaska entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after more than a decade of battling non-Hodgkins lymphoma and heart disease. To the very end, Paul lived with the tenacious hope that inspired so many of his family and friends; a hope confidently rooted in the promise of Philippians 1:6, "that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
While Paul lived a life rich in hope and relationships, his health challenges left him with few financial resources in his remaining years. This fund will help his family cover costs associated with his death and memorial service.

PAUL NEVER KNEW A STRANGER
Paul Ivaska never knew a stranger; he only met new friends wherever he went. Although most talk about six degrees of separation between us, Paul never seemed to need more than 2 or 3 before he made you feel like you'd always been connected. Whether extending hospitality to new families in one of the four churches he pastored or sitting in the lobby of his apartment building to greet whoever might pass by, his extroverted personality remained one of his greatest gifts in both ministry and life. So much so, in fact, that his family knows there's no way to know how far his network of relationships extends, or how many people will miss him now that he's gone ahead to glory.

PAUL ALWAYS HOPED IN CHRIST
Paul Peter Ivaska, Jr. was born to Paul and Bernice (Boettcher) Ivaska on August 11, 1943 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The grace of Christ gripped Paul firmly as a young boy—shortly after his father's untimely death when Paul was seven—and God provided faithfully for his mother and two brothers as they navigated life in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Paul enrolled at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in their counseling program, where he both met his future wife, Sharon Elisabeth Bayles, and discovered his call to pastoral ministry. He and Sharon married in 1970 and he switched to the Master of Divinity degree program.
Paul began his ministry career with Young Life and then as a foster parent at a boys home before his first pastoral calling as Associate Pastor at Sunland Evangelical Free Church in the early 1970s. As a Senior Pastor, Paul served the Tumwater Evangelical Free Church in Olympia, Washington in the late 1970s; Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Boise, Idaho for most of the 1980s; and Bethel Evangelical Free Church on Vashon Island, Washington from 1988 until 2005.

However, when his wife, Sharon, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, he counted it his greatest ministry to love and serve her until her death in 2009. Paul soon thereafter joined a church planting team full of people half his age as Downtown Cornerstone Church was established in Seattle, Washington, and remained a faithful member there until his death. In all of the trials of life and ministry, Paul clung to the hope of Christ and the joy of an eternal future with him. Among his last spoken prayers was, "Thank you, Jesus, for everything!"
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Paul's two sons, Erik (and Jessica) of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Mike (and Nichole) of Vashon Island, Washington, are grateful for the many warm words of sympathy and gratitude for their father over the past several days. Paul's Church, Downtown Cornerstone, graciously offered their facility for Paul's memorial service (see below) but there are many other expenses that have arisen around Paul's passing. The family is grateful for your help with these final expenses.

MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION
Paul's memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 4, 2019 at 4pm at Downtown Cornerstone Church in Seattle, Washington. The address is 2333 Western Avenue, and parking will be available in both lots next to the building. Street parking is also free on Sundays, and validated parking is accessible nearby at the Bell Harbor Conference Center Garage on Elliott Avenue.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.” – 2 Corinthians 4:7–12
While Paul lived a life rich in hope and relationships, his health challenges left him with few financial resources in his remaining years. This fund will help his family cover costs associated with his death and memorial service.
PAUL NEVER KNEW A STRANGER
Paul Ivaska never knew a stranger; he only met new friends wherever he went. Although most talk about six degrees of separation between us, Paul never seemed to need more than 2 or 3 before he made you feel like you'd always been connected. Whether extending hospitality to new families in one of the four churches he pastored or sitting in the lobby of his apartment building to greet whoever might pass by, his extroverted personality remained one of his greatest gifts in both ministry and life. So much so, in fact, that his family knows there's no way to know how far his network of relationships extends, or how many people will miss him now that he's gone ahead to glory.
PAUL ALWAYS HOPED IN CHRIST
Paul Peter Ivaska, Jr. was born to Paul and Bernice (Boettcher) Ivaska on August 11, 1943 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The grace of Christ gripped Paul firmly as a young boy—shortly after his father's untimely death when Paul was seven—and God provided faithfully for his mother and two brothers as they navigated life in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Paul enrolled at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in their counseling program, where he both met his future wife, Sharon Elisabeth Bayles, and discovered his call to pastoral ministry. He and Sharon married in 1970 and he switched to the Master of Divinity degree program.
Paul began his ministry career with Young Life and then as a foster parent at a boys home before his first pastoral calling as Associate Pastor at Sunland Evangelical Free Church in the early 1970s. As a Senior Pastor, Paul served the Tumwater Evangelical Free Church in Olympia, Washington in the late 1970s; Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Boise, Idaho for most of the 1980s; and Bethel Evangelical Free Church on Vashon Island, Washington from 1988 until 2005.
However, when his wife, Sharon, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, he counted it his greatest ministry to love and serve her until her death in 2009. Paul soon thereafter joined a church planting team full of people half his age as Downtown Cornerstone Church was established in Seattle, Washington, and remained a faithful member there until his death. In all of the trials of life and ministry, Paul clung to the hope of Christ and the joy of an eternal future with him. Among his last spoken prayers was, "Thank you, Jesus, for everything!"
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Paul's two sons, Erik (and Jessica) of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Mike (and Nichole) of Vashon Island, Washington, are grateful for the many warm words of sympathy and gratitude for their father over the past several days. Paul's Church, Downtown Cornerstone, graciously offered their facility for Paul's memorial service (see below) but there are many other expenses that have arisen around Paul's passing. The family is grateful for your help with these final expenses.
MEMORIAL SERVICE INFORMATION
Paul's memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 4, 2019 at 4pm at Downtown Cornerstone Church in Seattle, Washington. The address is 2333 Western Avenue, and parking will be available in both lots next to the building. Street parking is also free on Sundays, and validated parking is accessible nearby at the Bell Harbor Conference Center Garage on Elliott Avenue.
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.” – 2 Corinthians 4:7–12
Organizer
Erik Ivaska
Organizer
Seattle, WA