Wayne Klinger bids farewell after 56 years of music and ministry – Mitchell Republic

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MITCHELL — This Sunday, the sanctuary at First Reformed Church will be filled with voices, music and memories as longtime choir director Wayne Klinger conducts his final concert after 56 years of service.
For over half a century, Klinger has helped shape the church’s spiritual soundscape — creating a legacy stitched into every harmony. At 84, he is not just a choir director, but a fixture of the congregation, its music ministry and the Mitchell community.
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“Wayne is a pillar of this church and this community,” said Pastor Leroy Boender, who joined the church staff three years ago. “You can’t talk about music in Mitchell without talking about Wayne Klinger.”
When Klinger and his wife Jan joined First Reformed in 1969, they found a welcoming church but no choir. That changed quickly.
“I figured I’d get one started and help it run for a couple of years,” Klinger said with a chuckle. “I never imagined I’d be directing it for over half a century.”
But in many ways, music had always been the calling — even if he didn’t see it coming.
Growing up, Klinger sang in school choirs and Christmas programs. Though he initially enrolled at Southern State College to study electronics, his growing love for music shifted his path. He switched his degree to music education and went on to teach in Tripp, where he proudly recalls 110 of the school’s 140 students participating in vocal music. His time there sharpened his skills as a leader, arranger and motivator — experiences he brought with him to Mitchell.
While Klinger eventually transitioned from teaching to a career with Investor Diversified Services, his musical life only deepened at First Reformed. What started as a side project became a lifetime of ministry.
Over the years, the choir he built has ranged from 35 to its current 25 members, ages 19 to 82. More than the numbers, though, it’s the spirit that has endured.
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“He makes it fun,” said choir member Debbie Asmus, who, along with her husband Mike, has sung under Klinger for 52 years. “He’s passionate, he’s funny, he pushes us to do our best.”
The Asmuses consider Klinger family. He was the best man at their wedding, and according to Mike, Klinger has drawn dozens into the choir with his warmth, his enthusiasm and his knack for spotting musical potential.
He has an incredible way of getting people involved, Asmus said.
“A new person walks in the door, and within 30 minutes, Wayne’s asking about their musical background,“ Asmus said. „He’s like a musical magnet.”
Through the decades, the choir has performed during services twice a month and held two major concerts annually — one at Christmas and one in the spring. Though the spring concert doesn’t follow an Easter theme specifically, resurrection and renewal are often woven into the music.
Klinger maintains a catalog of more than 500 songs, mostly from Hope Publishing Company, carefully noting when each is performed to avoid repetition. He typically waits at least four years before bringing a song back.
All of Klinger’s work has been volunteer-based. Though he’s never been paid for his decades of service, he’s never lacked for appreciation — or snacks.
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“We don’t pay him, but we feed him well,” Asmus said with a grin. “Three or four of the ladies are really good cookie makers, and so they keep him pretty well supplied.”
That attention to detail and devotion has come with challenges. In 2012, Klinger suffered a heart attack at the Mitchell Rec Center. He was rushed to the hospital and required stent placement surgery. Despite the scare, he conducted the spring concert just weeks later.
“He’s just that dedicated,” Asmus said.
The COVID-19 pandemic also disrupted rehearsals and performances, pausing in-person gatherings and quieting the choir for a time. But even then, Klinger found ways to keep people connected and eventually helped the group regroup and return.
Despite all the ups and downs, his commitment has never wavered.
“I just loved it so much, and I still do,” Klinger said. “This hurts to quit. I’m having a hard time with it.”
That decision, he said, comes not from lack of desire but necessity.
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“Physically, there are things cropping up,” Klinger said. “It’s time to get some of the younger people in.”
Joel Van Peursem, the Mitchell Middle School band director, is expected to take the reins. He’s subbed for Klinger before and will begin leading the group following Sunday’s concert. Klinger plans to keep singing in the choir — voice permitting — and may even fill in as director occasionally when Van Peursem has school band obligations.
“My voice isn’t what it used to be — there’s a bit of gravel now — but I still want to be part of it,” he said.
Even now, in his final days as director, he’s adding songs to the setlist. Just over a week ago, inspiration struck in the early morning hours.
“I woke up at 4 a.m. with this song in my head — ‘My Tribute’ by Andrae Crouch,” he said. “It talks about giving, how God gives to us. It just relates to everything I feel right now.”
Despite the short notice, Klinger has no doubt his choir will deliver.
“They work their tails off,” he said proudly. “It will come together.”
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Klinger wants this final concert, being held at 7 p.m. at First Reformed Church, 501 W. 15th Ave., to be more than a farewell — he wants it to be a statement. After decades of harmonies, rehearsals and Sunday mornings, he’s pouring everything he has left into one last performance that captures what the music has always meant to him: ministry, connection and faith. The concert is open to the public.
“I’ve had a wonderful experience as director,” Klinger said. “This is my last concert, and I’m trying to make it a big one, a good one. And I think it will be.”
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