Dr. Niels Henrik Øster had a heart for service. He was born to Danish missionary parents in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on the 15th of May 1927. The family later moved to the former British East Africa before returning to Denmark, where Niels Henrik grew up at Samso and in Randers as the oldest of 8 siblings.
In 1952 He married Tove (nee Sørensen) Oster, and the first of 6 children, a daughter, was born in Denmark. The family immigrated to the USA so that Niels could study medicine. He graduated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California, in 1961. While in California, the family grew, adding three more daughters. Dr. Oster completed a residency in general surgery, and in 1966 he moved the family to rural Virginia, where he established a private practice and worked at Tidewater Memorial Hospital in Tappahannock. The family added two sons and settled in Dunnsville, VA, on the Rappahannock River.
In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Oster was deeply involved in establishing the Tappahannock Seventh-day Adventist Church, Tappahannock Junior Academy, Tappahannock Children's Center, as well as the Tappahannock SDA Church Community Service Center. Dr. Oster remained actively involved in his local church as an elder and was beloved by the local community.
In 1993, Dr. Oster chose to retire and accept a call to return to Africa to serve as the Medical Director at Heri Hospital in Tanzania. He was passionate about providing surgical care to those in need and known widely for his animated telling of Bible stories. Upon returning to the United States in 2005, Dr. Oster remained active in his local church and volunteered at the Tappahannock Free Clinic. His work at Heri Hospital later inspired his younger brother, Dr. Morten Oster, from Denmark, to travel to Tanzania. To this day, his brother remains actively involved in supporting the medical work at Heri Hospital.
In 2008 Dr. Niels Oster suffered a massive heart attack, and by the grace of God, he survived. While his health was impacted, he remained active during the last decade, enjoying sailing and gardening. Most of all, he enjoyed being surrounded by his six children, fourteen grandchildren, and a recent great-grandchild. At the age of 93, he died peacefully at home in Dunnsvile, VA, on the 2nd of February 2021.
Dr. Niels Oster was surpassed in death by his younger sister Ella Lund in Denmark and his granddaughter Kirsten Wolcott, who was murdered while serving as a student missionary in Yap, Micronesia. He is survived by his beloved wife of 69 years, Tove, his six children, Karen, Ann, Ida, Linda, Peter, David, their families, and his six remaining siblings and their families.
This beloved son of Africa and Denmark impacted many lives through his humble service and deep commitment to the Seventh-day Adventist Church's mission. May his service and faithfulness continue to be an inspiration.
A memorial service will be held in the future when the family can gather together.
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