Roy Aubry Kornegay Jr., Texas Baptist minister of education and associational director of missions, died April 6. He was 82. He was born Aug. 15, 1937, in Shreveport, La., to Roy Aubry Kornegay and Clara Gray Kornegay. He earned his undergraduate degree from Howard Payne College, where he met and married Janette Sewell. He went on to earn a dual master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as minister of education at churches in Alvarado, Dumas, Texas City and Pampa before serving at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Ariz. From there, he went to First Baptist Church in Amarillo, where he was minister of education 15 years. He wrote Sunday school curriculum, Vacation Bible School material and missions literature for the Baptist Sunday School Board. He served 17 years as director of missions for Amarillo Baptist Association before he retired in 2004. His denominational service included terms on the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board and the Howard Payne University board of trustees. He served as chair of the SBS Metro Religious Education Association. Locally, he served on the Amarillo Baptist Community Service Board and the High Plains Foundation Board. He was on the YMCA board of directors and was the 2004 Recipient of the Harry Mays Award. He enjoyed singing with the Panhandle Singing Men of Texas. He began leading tours of the Holy Land in 1974 and set a goal of visiting every place mentioned in the Bible. He later expanded that list, visiting 64 countries. Because of the distinctive hat he wore with a pin from every country he visited, he became widely recognized around the world as “the man in the orange hat.” He is survived by his wife, Janette Kornegay; three daughters and their husbands, Kari and Brian McClure of Coppell, Karla and Brent Weatherly of Amarillo, Kathy and Jon Brooks of Keller; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Memorial gifts can be donated in his honor to High Plains Retreat Center, Kornegay Hall Fund, P.O. Box 7709, Amarillo, TX 79114 or online here.
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