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Milton Andrew Fritsch was born in the Temora Hospital on August 8th, 1961, and grew up on the family farm as the eldest son and child of Elmore and Ruth Fritsch. Born into a Lutheran household, Milton was baptised on August 20, 1961, at St John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and confirmed on September 21, 1975, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Temora.
Milton. A name he didn’t love much as a child until his father assured him it was chosen because it was a “grown up name”, and that’s why it suited him. As a young lad, Milton spent his days on the farm helping with jobs, playing with his brothers and sister, and establishing some of his lifelong passions including nature, rugby, and the state of New South Wales.
Speaking of lifelong, as a very young boy, Milton struck up a friendship with his neighbour Robert Wiencke. The two of them of them would often walk to school together, and nearly three decades later, Robert would be standing next to Milton once again as the best man on his wedding day. Truly a friendship that went the distance.
School life presented its challenges for Milton growing up. Country New South Wales in the 60s and 70s struggled to offer the kind of curriculum that matched his interests. However, despite not finding his place at school, Milton was determined to live out his adolescent dream of joining the Australian Navy. But God had other plans, and after two failed attempts at being recruited, that dream slipped away.
Milton left his beloved Temora at age 19 to work as a banker at several branches across regional New South Wales. Throughout his 20s, he went from the towns of Young to Goulburn to Cooma, playing at their local rugby clubs and climbing whatever mountains he could find. There are two seminal moments during this period of Milton’s life. The first was during the early 80s when, while watching an episode of Countdown, Milton first listened to the music of British new-wave heavy metal band Iron Maiden – an experience that would literally shape his musical taste for the rest of his life.
The second was later in the decade, when Milton felt called to leave behind his career as a banker and become a pastor in the Lutheran church. He had already spent much of his adult life working in youth ministry, all the while maintaining a close connection to his personal faith. So, after consulting his parents who were both incredibly affirming of this pathway, Milton uprooted his life, moved to Adelaide, and started seminary in 1989.
As Milton would often tell his mum, he only had two priorities during those early years of study: passing Hebrew, and “hitting the line at pace” as a winger for the North Adelaide Rugby Club. He was successful at both, although his sporting triumphs were somewhat dampened – or perhaps further mythologised – by a string of dislocated shoulders that would continue to haunt him long after he hung up the boots.
Between passing classes and scoring tries, Milton, or “Fritschy” as he was known amongst his cohort, would enjoy a few quiet drinks at the “Welly” pub in North Adelaide. It was here where Milton met a young, spirited speech therapist student called Gaylea Schirmer. A young, spirited speech therapist student who, much to Milton’s surprise, started showing up at his rugby matches to watch him play. Week after week after week.
In his wisdom, Milton read this situation from the only logical point of view that made sense to him: Gaylea clearly shared his passion for the mighty game of rugby. Thankfully, Gaylea’s patience lasted just long enough for common sense to finally hit Milton, and the two began a love story for the ages. On February 15, 1992 – yes, the day after Valentine’s Day – Milton asked Gaylea to marry him, and the two made their wedding vows at Grace Lutheran Church in Ipswich on December 19 of that same year. Milton upheld those vows with honour and dignity for the rest of his life, and his love for his beautiful wife and closest friend remained strong each and every day across 30 years of marriage.
Milton graduated from his Bachelor of Theology in 1992, before embarking on a vicarage the next year at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church under Pastor Mike Hassold. Pastor Mike, who was also recently called home to Jesus, taught Milton a lot about preaching the Word of the Lord and ministering to a congregation of people, and acted as a mentor figure throughout the rest of Milton’s career as a pastor. Graduating with a Diploma of Ministry in 1994, Milton was ordained on January 8, 1995, at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Toowoomba where he made his faithful vows to serve his Lord and his parishes with love and grace.
Milton and Gaylea moved to Emerald in early 1995, where he was installed in his first parish. Ministering in central Queensland meant Milton would drive upwards of 300kms on Sundays as he went from congregation to congregation preaching the gospel and connecting with people. It was during these early days of his ministry where Milton discovered his uncomplicated approach to serving the Lord. He was humble, he was steadfast, and he had the ability to always find the best in people from all walks of life. He boiled it down to “love Jesus, love each other” and that basic, beautiful world view was the guiding light he never wavered from.
Emerald was where Milton and Gaylea started to grow their little family. First came a beautiful daughter, Maria Elizabeth Fritsch, who was born on July 17, 1996. Two years later, on October 19, 1998, they had their son, Harry Milton Fritsch. Despite already being in his mid-30s and working full time, Milton took to fatherhood instantly, and loved nothing more than teaching, nurturing, and spending quality time with his children.
In May 1999, Milton and Gaylea made the brave decision to pack up their two little ones and accept a call at St John’s Lutheran Church in Kingaroy. Those two little ones soon became three, after Abigail Ruth Fritsch was born on October 1, 2001. Milton and Gaylea’s little family was now complete.
In Kingaroy, Milton strengthened his leadership qualities, introduced contemporary worship, and had the wonderful opportunity of ministering to a school. But family life remained his top priority. Whether he was taking the kids on a lap around the backyard on the motorbike or going on a family day trip to the Bunya mountains, his young family was happy and settled living where they were.
And yet, as is often the case with these things, God had other plans for Milton, Gaylea, and the kids. In January 2005, Milton accepted a call to Mountainside Lutheran Church in Auckland, New Zealand. Moving a young family to an entirely different country, away from all their established support networks, was a massive undertaking for Milton and Gaylea. However, it was worth all the stress, as Milton relished working at Mountainside – especially in his cross-cultural and church planting ministries. He was also honoured to be elected as the Vice President of the New Zealand district during his time there.
Milton and the family also adored exploring every inch of New Zealand while living there. Milton never shied away from his love of mountains and could name the height of any given peak in both metres and feet at the drop of a hat. New Zealand allowed him to witness some of the world’s most stunning mountains in person – none of which captured his imagination or unwavering attention more than Aoraki/Mt Cook. For those wondering, its elevation is 3,724 metres or 12,218 feet.
After spending seven beautiful years in Auckland, Milton and the family felt the need to return to Australia to be closer to his elderly dad. He accepted a call to Ipswich Lutheran Parish where he faithfully served and navigated the excitement and challenges of ministering to three separate congregations. While at Ipswich, Milton had the pleasure of living close to his parents where he could provide the support and care they needed during some difficult times. His children were also fast growing up, with Maria and Harry graduating from high school and university, and Abigail progressing through her school years. He took immense pride in their growth, and always championed the direction they wished to take their lives.
In early 2017, Milton received a call to St John’s Lutheran Church in Geelong. While he originally gave little thought to the opportunity, God planted a seed in his heart that quickly grew into a genuine commitment to serve the people of this parish. However, moving to Geelong would mean having to split up his family. While this decision brought about plenty of heartache, Milton, Gaylea, and the kids kept the faith that their distance would have no impact on their close bond, and they have not weakened in the years since.
Milton was installed at Geelong in late 2017, and he intended to serve his remaining years as a pastor in this parish. He took great joy in mentoring Pastor James Ruei and the blossoming South Sundanese community within this church family. He loved ministering to the school and building meaningful connections with people from across the city. He had found a true home and a sense of belonging that spoke to all the years of work that had led to this calling.
Geelong was also where Milton and Gaylea witnessed their children begin their own careers and start their own families. Despite having to work through a pandemic, his dedication to his family and his congregation remained as powerful as ever, and he loved planning what adventures the future years may hold with his wife, his children, and their partners.
Sadly, Milton did not get to experience all those adventures. At least, not in this lifetime. On the morning of February 8, 2023, Milton passed away due to complications following knee surgery. He was 61 years old. After dedicating a lifetime of service, he was called home to be spend eternity in the loving arms of his Lord Jesus Christ.
He was pre-deceased by his father Elmore, who passed away on January 29, 2022. He is survived by his wife Gaylea, his children Maria, Harry, and Abigail and their partners Peter and Virag, his mother Ruth, his siblings Robin, Simon, Jason and their families, his parents-in-law Alwin and Val, and his siblings-in-law Richard, Lenka, Kate, Jim and their families.
Milton was too many extraordinary things to describe in one eulogy. He was Pastor Milton, husband, dad, uncle, brother, son, Fritschy. He was a cheeky grin and a full beard. He was a hopeless nerd for all things Batman, Thor, Mad Max, and Dirty Harry. He was barbeques on Saturday morning and “spag bols” on Sunday nights. He was a motorcycle and navy enthusiast through and through. He was a lifetime supporter of the Wallabies, New South Wales Blues, Manly Sea Eagles, and the North Melbourne Kangaroos. He was test cricket in the summer and warm fires in the winter. He was a glass of red wine and a steak medium well-done with a Diane sauce. He was the first to celebrate someone else’s achievements, and the last to leave a conversation. He was an endlessly patient, loving, and faithful pastor, family man, and friend to so, so many people.
But if we could use one, single word to encapsulate everything that Milton was, is, and will always be, it would be this:
He was brilliant.