Alan Frederick Harre was born on June 12, 1940, in Nashville, Illinois to Adolph and Hilda (Vogt) Harre and passed away on August 20, 2020, peacefully at his home at the age of 80 years, 2 months and 8 days. Alan was baptized on June 23, 1940 and confirmed in his faith at Trinity Lutheran Church. He grew up in Nashville where he attended school until his sophomore year, continuing his junior and senior year at St. Paul's Lutheran School in Concordia, Missouri and graduated with the Class of 1958.

Alan attended the first two years of college at St. Paul's College. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Indiana (1962). On August 9, 1964, Alan was united in marriage to Diane Mack in St. Louis, Missouri and to this union three children were born, Andrea, Jennifer and Eric. Alan received a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (1966); a Master of Arts degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond, Virginia (1967); and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (1976).

He began his professional career in 1967 as assistant pastor of St. James Lutheran Church of Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, where he also served his seminary internship during the 1964-65 academic year.  In 1973, he joined the theology faculty of Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska.  He also served that institution as assistant to the president, as dean of student affairs, and, for a brief period, as acting president.

In July 1984, he became president of Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota.  He left Concordia, St. Paul, in July 1988. He was inaugurated as the 17 ^th president of Valparaiso University in October 1988.

Dr. Harre was a member of a number of boards of directors in the community of Valparaiso, Indiana.  In the larger Northwest Indiana community, Dr. Harre was a member of the boards of directors of the Northwest Indiana Forum; the Quality of Life Council; the Community Foundation of Northwest, Indiana, Inc., Independent Colleges of Indiana; and the Indiana Campus Compact.  He has chaired the Council of Presidents of the Associated New American Colleges, the Presidents' Council of the Mid-Continent Conference for three terms, and the Indiana Conference of Higher Education.  He was also the co-founder of the local affiliate of Rebuilding Together.  He has been appointed to two special committees of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and has served on the board of directors of the Community Development Corporation, Gary Accord Communities in Schools, The Lutheran Educational Conference of North America, and the Porter County Community Foundation.

Dr. Harre participated in a number of local organizations.  He served on the advisory board of the Valparaiso Family YMCA.  In the area of the upper Midwest, he held membership in the Northwest Indiana Business Roundtable, Advisory Council for Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana Society of Chicago, and the Union League Club of Chicago.  He also served two three-year terms as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Harre has been recognized by the Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce in naming him the recipient of the 1998 Distinguished Community Leader Award.  The Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce also nominated him for recognition by the Wal-Mart Foundation, and he was granted the 1999 Sam Walton Business Leader Award.  The Asian American Medical Association presented Dr. Harre with its 1999 Crystal Globe Award.  Wheat Ridge Ministries presented him with its Seeds of Hope award in 2006, and he was the recipient of the 2006 Chief Executive Leadership Award presented by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District V (CASE V).  In 2007 he received the Quality of Life Council Lifetime Achievement Award and became an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.  In 2008 he received the Outstanding Executive Award from the Association of Lutheran Development Executives and the Indiana Campus Compact Presidential Award for outstanding commitment to the field of service-learning and civic engagement and advocacy for higher education's involvement on behalf of local communities. Concordia Seminary St. Louis named Dr. Harre as its Distinguished Alumnus in 2010 and St. Paul's Lutheran High School presented him with its Apostle Paul award in 2011.

Since his retirement on June 30, 2008 as President of Valparaiso University, he has been engaged in a variety of activities. He has served as the Interim Pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Staplehurst, NE January 5, 2010-August 21, 2011. From May 5, 2012 to August 28, 2013 he served as the Vacancy Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, Waco, NE.  And he has served as vacancy pastor at Pacific Hills Lutheran Church, Omaha, NE, July 3, 2014 through November 30, 2015.  From January 1, 2016 until December 31, 2016, he served as vacancy pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Garland, NE.   He has served as a volunteer adviser, primarily in the area of fund raising, to a number of institutions and agencies affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. These include: The Nebraska District of the LCMS, Concordia University-Nebraska, Concordia University-St. Paul, MN, Concordia Seminary-St. Louis, MO, Board for World Missions of the LCMS, St. Paul's Lutheran High School and Ministries-Concordia, MO, Concordia Lutheran Junior and Senior High School-Omaha, NE, Bethesda Lutheran Communities, Watertown, WI and Lutheran Hour Ministries, St. Louis, MO. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Rupert Dunklau Foundation-Fremont, NE and of the Fund Advisory Committee of the Legacy Foundation for Seward County- Seward, NE.

Alan was preceded in death by his parents; brother-in-law, Tom Mack.

Alan is survived by his wife, Diane; three children,  Andrea (Nick) Sloup, Seward, NE; Jennifer (Robert) Serricchio, Palmer, MA; Eric (Heidi) Harre, Maplewood, MN; nine grandchildren:  Shane Sloup, Shelbi and husband Jackson Hackbart, Brevin Sloup, Nolan Harre, Natalie Sloup, Madelynn Harre, Anthony Serricchio, Grace Harre, Haylie Sloup; two great-grandchildren:  Elianah Hackbart and Gabriel Hackbart. To this obituary we add our thoughts, prayers and memories of life shared with Alan.