Death of Archbishop Falk.

It is with great sadness that I must share with you the news of the passing into eternal life of Archbishop Louis Falk.  Archbishop Falk was the first bishop of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley and first Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church in America.  We mourn his death and send our prayers to his wife Carol and all of his family.  In later years he served as a wise counselor to the House of Bishops and to his own beloved diocese.

Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him.  May Louis’ soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercies of God rest in peace and arise in glory!  Amen.

The Rt. Rev. Alexander Webb

Obituary

Louis Wahl Falk III was born December 30, 1935, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and passed away peacefully, surrounded by family at Brio of Johnston on January 23, 2025. Louis was the second of 4 children born to Louis W. Falk II and Lovisa M. Falk, nee Fox. Louis married his high school sweetheart, Carol Alice Froemming of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on September 3, 1955.

Louis attended Kenyon College and graduated from Lawrence College in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree awarded summa cum laude. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society and Sigma Pi Fraternity. He later earned a Master of Divinity degree awarded cum laude from Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin.

Louis entered the business world, eventually serving as president of General Growth Management Company in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1978, he and his family joined the Anglican Church. Louis helped to found Saint Aidan's Parish in Des Moines, serving as rector of the parish while continuing his business career. In 1981 Louis was consecrated as the first bishop of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley at which time he retired from General Growth.

In 1983, Louis was elected to serve as head bishop of the Anglican Catholic Church. He continued in a leadership position in the world-wide Traditional Anglican Church while still leading his local parish and regional diocese. Louis retired from the episcopate in 2007 and continued to serve his local parish until his full retirement in 2014.

Apart from his professional life, he and his family enjoyed outdoor activities such as skiing, golf and wilderness canoeing. His family has fond memories of exploring the back waters of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada. Louis had a long-standing love/hate relationship with his Green Bay Packers, who surely heard his frequent coaching advice directed at the television. He was known for his wry sense of humor and his ability to put it to use in conferences and meetings. Louis was an accomplished guitarist and music enthusiast as well as an avid reader and slayer of crossword puzzles.

Louis is survived by his wife, Carol, sisters, Martha Moehrke and Kate Young, his 4 children: Robert (Stephanie), Timothy (Janis), Thomas, and Kristin (Kevin Guenther), 14 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sister Penny Falk and grandchildren Matthew and Daniel Falk. At the time of his death Louis and Carol resided in Clive, Iowa.

The family thanks the caring staffs at Methodist West Hospital and Brio of Johnston. The family will welcome friends and guests at Iles Westover Funeral Home in Des Moines between 4:00 and 6:00 pm on Sunday, February 2, and a requiem mass will be celebrated at St. Aidan's Church in Des Moines at noon on Monday February 3. Burial will follow at a later date at Nashotah House Seminary. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Aidan’s Parish, 4911 Meredith Dr, PO Box 13293 Des Moines, Iowa 50322.