James Pearson

Pastor James (Jim) Kenneth Pearson, 96, is at home with the Lord he faithfully served as a Lutheran pastor for 65 years. Pastor Jim entered eternal rest on January 19, 2026, at Heritage Place in Soldotna, Alaska with family by his side.
He was born October 28, 1929, in Finlayson, Minnesota, to dairy and rutabaga farmers Carl and Mary Pearson. He was the fifth of six boys, with one sister, Irene, the oldest child. He is survived by his youngest brother, Arnie Pearson in Milaca, Minnesota.
Widely known as “Pastor Jim,” his life was marked by a steady, humble confidence in Jesus Christ—an anchored faith expressed in preaching the Gospel, teaching Scripture, visiting the sick and homebound, and walking with families through baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals.
For Pastor Jim, the resurrection wasn’t just a historical event, but a living reality that anchored the sure promises given in Word and Sacrament. He enrolled at the Lutheran Bible Institute, Minneapolis where he studied for two years. As a young student at Augsburg College before graduating in 1956, he spent summers with Elmer Sandburg—an immigrant friend from Sweden connected to Jim’s father—and alongside a community of Lutheran farm families in South Dakota. Those summers helped plant and confirm a clear calling: to prepare for ministry and serve the Lord's Church with his whole heart.
On May 29, 1960, Jim graduated from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and was ordained on June 12, 1960. What followed was a pastorate spanning North Dakota and Alaska, including:1960–1968: Wolseth, North Dakota — a four-point parish serving Nidaros Lutheran, Deering Lutheran, St. Olaf Lutheran, and Our Savior’s Lutheran Churches.
1968–1974: serving the Iñupiat people of the Seward Peninsula as pastor at Teller Lutheran, Teller, Alaska; also supervising pastor for Brevig Lutheran in Brevig Mission, Alaska and chaplain to the U.S. Coast Guard Loran Station at Port Clarence, Alaska and Tin City Air Force Station.1974–1979: Our Savior’s Lutheran, Nome, Alaska.1979–1992: Christ Lutheran, Soldotna, Alaska.1992–1998: Sterling Lutheran, Sterling, Alaska; and he also began Cooper Landing Community Church, Cooper Landing, Alaska.
Pastor Jim loved the everyday texture of ministry: Scripture read aloud, hymns sung with conviction, prayer offered in hospital rooms and kitchens, and the steady work of shepherding God’s people through long seasons of life. He also delighted in connection and communication as an amateur (ham) radio operator; his call sign was KL7HHF.
Pastor Jim was preceded in death by his beloved wife and ministry partner of 64 years, Audrey Pearson, who went home to the Lord on February 13, 2022.
He is survived by son Timothy Pearson (Julia) and granddaughter Elizabeth of Anchorage; son Mark Pearson (Ida) and grandchildren Stephen and Ruth; son Peter Pearson (Angela) and grandchildren Max and Margaux of Lakeland, Florida; as well as grandson Jonathan Pozonsky, granddaughter Jamie Shoffit, and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Bible Society (www.AmericanBible.org) or to the charity of one’s choice.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Star of the North Lutheran Church in Kenai, Alaska and streamed live and recorded on their FaceBook page: Star of the North Lutheran Church Kenai.