Joe Gerault, who served more than 18 years in a variety of ministerial roles at Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, died Nov. 5 after a lengthy battle with Ataxia. He was 63. Gerault graduated from Howard Payne University in Brownwood in 1977. He went on to attend several institutions of higher learning, where he earned a specialist’s certification in gerontology, a master’s degree in religious education and a doctorate in educational ministries. Prior to arriving in the Rio Grande Valley in 1993, he served on the staff of churches in St. Louis, Mo., Hillsboro and Fort Worth. In his varied positions at Calvary Baptist Church, he organized and oversaw the Sunday school, provided direction to the remodeling of the church facility, served as consultant and church representative on the construction of two buildings, and provided pastoral care and senior adult ministry. In addition to his church staff duties, he found time to be a writer, teacher, occasional preacher and a professor on several continents. He also served in leadership positions in several professional, public and denominational organizations. He was preceded in death by a sister, Donna Treonne Gerault Odom Wick. He is survived by his wife of more than 42 years, Janet Kay Calhoun Gerault; his sister Andrea Louise Peterson and her husband Wes of Lincoln, Neb.; his sister Katie Nealeigh of Terrell; and numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and three great-great nieces.

Kurt Kaiser of Waco, Christian composer and pianist, died Nov. 12 after a lengthy illness. He was 83. Kaiser was born Dec. 17, 1934, in Chicago. He held degrees from the American Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University. He and his wife Pat and their family moved to Waco in 1959. They were longtime members of Seventh & James Baptist Church before they helped to start Dayspring Baptist Church in Waco. Kaiser was instrumental in the launch and growth of Word Music, where he was vice president and director of music. He composed more than 300 songs, including “Pass It On” and “Oh How He Loves You and Me.” He and Ralph Carmichael pioneered Christian youth musicals such as “Tell It Like It Is” and “Natural High” in the 1960s and 1970s. He was soloist George Beverly Shea’s accompanist at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association crusades. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and was elected to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He was a longtime supporter of Baylor University, which all four of his children attended, and the university awarded him its Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service in 2017. He is survived by his wife Pat; four children and their spouses, Kris Kaiser Olson and Charles Olson of Waco, Kelli and Kent Kaiser of Sugar Land, Janet and Craig Kaiser of Houston, and Gail and Tim Kaiser of Coppell; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one sister, Sigrid Schultz; and three brothers, Helmuth Kaiser, Martin Kaiser and Gerhard Kaiser.

R.L. Herring of San Antonio, retired Texas Baptist pastor, military chaplain and administrator for Buckner Baptist Retirement Village, died Aug. 25. He was 97. Herring was born Aug. 18, 1921, in rural Mississippi to Robert Lee Herring and Carrie Carr Herring. His family moved to Southeast Texas when he was young, and he graduated from Port Neches High School. At Clark College in Newton, Miss., he earned an associate’s degree and met his future wife, Mary Underwood. After they married, the Herrings moved to Texas. He earned an undergraduate degree from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene and a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Herring, who was ordained in 1940, served six churches as a student pastor. In 1949, he became the first pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Bryan. He later served at Fredonia Hill Baptist Church in Nacogdoches and Lakewood Baptist Church in Dallas. In 1965, he began 20 years of service as administrator for Buckner Baptist Retirement Village in Dallas. He served from 1950 to 1979 as a chaplain in the National Guard. He was state chaplain at the National Guard headquarters in Austin and was involved in building All Faiths Chapel at Camp Mabry in Austin. He received the Minute Man Award from the National Guard Association of Texas in 1996. His denominational service included time as a trustee at Wayland Baptist University and as an emeritus member of the executive board of Hardin-Simmons University, where he was named a distinguished alumnus in 2006. He was a charter member of Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio and later was an active member of First Baptist Church in San Antonio. Herring was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Mary, and his sister, Dorothy Mildred Bates. He is survived by his daughter, Cindy Ann Muir, and her husband Donald of San Antonio, and one granddaughter.

J.B. Fowler, retired Texas Baptist pastor and New Mexico Baptist newspaper editor, died Aug. 21 in San Antonio. He was 88. Fowler was born July 8, 1930, in Pawhuska, Okla., to J.B. and Ona Thurman Fowler. He began preaching at age 17. He earned an undergraduate degree from Howard Payne University and a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also received an honorary doctorate from Howard Payne University. He was pastor of churches in Van, Moran, Ballinger, Kendalia and Lubbock, as well as in McComb, Miss. He served 13 years as editor of the Baptist New Mexican and was named editor emeritus when he retired. His denominational service included terms as president of the Southern Baptist Press Association, a director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board, and a trustee of Howard Payne University, William Carey College and Hendrick Memorial Hospital. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Wanda Lee Orrick Fowler. He is survived by sons Bruce of San Antonio and David of New York City; one grandson, one great-granddaughter and a sister, Betty Smith of Arlington.

Betty Louise Doyen Dilday, former first lady of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,  died Aug. 9 of complications from pulmonary fibrosis. She was 87. She was born April 8, 1931 in Houston to Jewel and Lavergne Doyen. She accepted Christ as her Savior at age 9 and was baptized at First Baptist Church in Houston. She received her undergraduate degree in English from Baylor University, where she met her future husband, Russell, in Bible class their junior year. They married Aug. 15, 1952. Later, she did graduate study at Georgia State University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute, where she earned a Master of Arts in Religion degree. She taught school in Fort Worth when her husband was in seminary and in Georgia when he was pastor of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta. She served all her adult life as a Bible teacher, graded choir assistant, and missions leader. She served alongside her husband 17 years in Texas and Georgia as a pastor’s wife, for 16 years when he was president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and for one year when he was interim president of Howard Payne University. In Atlanta and Dallas, she developed a ministry by encouraging women to serve as volunteers to take smaller arrangements from the large altar flower arrangement to hospitals and shut-ins. In 2011, she was named Woman of Distinction by the Baylor Dallas Women’s Council, and in 2017, the Baylor Line Foundation awarded the R.H. Dilday family the title Baylor’s First Family. She and her husband traveled extensively to six continents visiting missionaries and encouraging Baptist work there. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Russell; their son Robert and their daughters, Nancy Duck and Ellen Garrett; nine grandchildren and two great-children.

John Bisagno, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church in Houston, died Aug. 5 in Nashville, Tenn., after a battle with cancer. He was 84. Bisagno was born April 5, 1934, in Augusta, Kan.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in music at Oklahoma Baptist University and received multiple honorary doctorates. Following an early career as a Dixieland jazz trumpeter, Bisagno gave his life to Christ in 1952 and accepted a call to ministry. He served as an evangelist—primarily in music evangelism—before he became pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, Okla., in 1965. He began his 30-year pastorate of First Baptist Church in Houston in 1970. During his time there, the church grew from fewer than 400 members to more than 22,000, baptized about 15,000 people, gave $250 million to missions and relocated from downtown to west Houston. While he was pastor at the Houston church, about 500 members entered full-time Christian vocations, including 100 international missionaries. Bisagno was president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors’ Conference and a frequent preacher at state Baptist evangelism conferences. He spoke at the World Congress on Evangelism and conducted 37 overseas evangelistic crusades. He was preceded in death last year by his wife of 63 years, Uldine. He is survived by two sons—Tim of Franklin, Tenn., and Tony of Tyler—and daughter Ginger Dodd of Freemont, Neb., eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

James W. Culp of Royse City, a pioneering leader of African-American work within the Baptist General Convention of Texas, died July 22. He was 86. Culp was born June 3, 1932, in Pineville, N.C., to Richard Sylvester Culp and Mary Edna Short Culp. Culp served in the U.S. Air Force, attaining the rank of technical sergeant and receiving the distinguished Bronze Star for his service during the Vietnam War. He was founding pastor of Second Chapel Baptist Church in Garland and the longtime coordinator of black church development for the BGCT. The African-American Fellowship of Texas named its annual banquet in his honor. Culp also was the first African-American to serve on the Garland City Council. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mary Lou Culp in 2015, and by siblings Richard Culp, Emma Washington, David Culp, Carrie Broome, George Culp, Fred Culp, Israel Culp and Monroe Culp. He is survived by his children, Terryl Bratek, Rae Culp, Mariann Douglas, James W. Culp, Jr., Deidra Culp, Michelle Culp and John Culp; 16 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; a brother, John J. Culp; and sister, Edna Culp Washington.

Michael Joseph Estep, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Marlin, died July 21 after a battle with cancer. He was 65. Estep was born July 4, 1953, in Wichita, Kan., to Phyllis Jean and Phillip Joseph Estep. He married Kathryn Louise Gassett in Honolulu, Hawaii, Sept. 21, 1974. She preceded him in death Sept. 28, 2016. He married Letitia Parrott in Athens Nov. 20, 2017. Estep joined the U.S. Navy in 1972. He was a Vietnam veteran and served on numerous ships in the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean Sea and South Pacific. He retired as a chief petty officer after more than 21 years, having earned numerous citations, ribbons, medals and badges. He was a teacher at the Juvenile Correctional Facility in Mart. He served as post commander for the American Legion Post 31 in Marlin and was chaplain of the American Legion Riders. He was an accomplished artist in oils, pencil and charcoal, and he was a motorcycle enthusiast. He is survived by his wife of eight months, Letitia, and her four daughters and three grandchildren; his children, Terri and Lee Michael Estep, Cora Day and Mario Padilla; four grandchildren; his mother, Phyllis Chapman; and three sisters, Linda Briscoe, Cindy Clinefelter and Cheryl Estep.

Robert Jack Beck, a Baptist minister for five decades, died July 14. He was 88. Beck was born Jan. 24, 1930, in Iowa Park to Charles and Alta Beck. He graduated from Iowa Park High School and the University of North Texas, and he completed a master’s degree and a doctorate at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. During his years in ministry, he served three Baptist churches in Fort Worth—College Avenue, Gambrell Street and Southwayside. He also was pastor of churches in Jolly, Quitaque, Paducah and Plainview. He participated in short-term preaching and missions projects in Italy, Portugal and Spain early in his career. Later trips to Brazil and Australia through the Baptist General Convention of Texas Partnership Missions program provided revival preaching opportunities. While pastor at Southwayside Baptist, he took a sabbatical that allowed him to return to Rome and participate in a lecture series at the Waldensian Seminary. In retirement, he traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, to assist missionaries as they worked with orphaned children. As part of the BGCT intentional interim ministry, he served congregations in Mansfield, Bedford, Pilot Point and Brownwood. One of his greatest joys was mentoring a new generation of ministers, teaching field education at Southwestern Seminary and supervising pastoral interns. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Reva Jean; son David and wife Shelly; son Charles and wife Debbie; four grandchildren; one great-grandchild; a sister, Nell; and two brothers, Don and Max.

Fain Eugene “Gene” Horton, longtime Baptist pastor in South Texas, died June 22 in Harlingen, five days after preaching his last sermon. He was 83. Horton was born was born March 29, 1934, in La Junta, Colo., to Fain and Lillian Horton. He graduated in 1952 from Killeen High School, where he played football and was a Golden Gloves boxer. He attended Baylor University and graduated from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, formerly the University of Corpus Christi, and Trinity Theological Seminary in Indiana. He married Phynetta Ann Gautier on Aug. 7, 1953 in Killeen. Horton was a first responder for a tornado in Waco in 1953 that killed 114 people. He started the mission church now known as Skyline Baptist Church in Killeen. He was pastor of First Baptist Church in Mineral while also working as schoolteacher, bus driver and a radio disk jockey. He went on to become pastor at First Baptist Church in Lyford and then Crestwood Baptist Church in Kountze. He was pastor First Baptist Church of Rio Hondo from 1968 to 2016. Most recently, he was pastor at Lighthouse Fellowship in Harlingen.

He was on local television 50 years, wrote the book Revival and recorded a gospel album, He Touched Me. He was a pilot more than 50 years and loved flying, earning “flight instructor” rating and teaching hundreds of student pilots. In recent years, he flew his private plane from Harlingen to San Benito to Rio Hondo as he prayed for the people he loved. Horn preached his last sermon on Father’s Day. He is survived by his wife of nearly 65 years, Phynetta Ann Gautier Horton; children David Horton of Plano and his wife, Stephanie; daughter Donna Greek of Rio Hondo and her husband, Vance; daughter Debbie Damron of Dripping Springs and her husband, Jack; five grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and sister Barbara Ann Bacon of Killeen.

Bruce W. Bowles, who led the Baptist Church Loan Corporation more than a quarter of a century, died June 24 in Dallas. He was 87. Bowles was born Oct. 24, 1930, in North Kansas City, Mo., and accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior at age 7. Following high school graduation, he joined the U.S. Air Force in 1951 and was assigned as a C-119 radio operator at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Ill. While stationed there, he met Phyllis Uhles. They married Nov. 14, 1952. After military assignments in Arizona and Illinois, Bowles and his family moved to Waco so he could study finance at Baylor University. After graduation and a brief stint with the Buccaneer Stamp Company, the family moved to Dallas where he became an officer with Lakewood Bank & Trust. In 1969, Bowles joined the administration at Mary Hardin-Baylor College, where he led fund-raising efforts and was vice president for college affairs. Four years later, he became president and chief executive officer of the Baptist Church Loan Corporation. He also was founding president of the Texas Baptist Financial Services. Serving on the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board staff with Bowles, who “carried out a multi-faceted ministry as a Baptist layman … was truly a blessing,” said Bill Pinson, BGCT executive director emeritus. “His sense of humor combined with a strong work ethic and commitment to being part of a team made him highly effective,” Pinson said. “He led the Baptist Church Loan Corporation to a huge increase in assets, more than quadrupling its worth, thus making additional finances available to assist churches. Unselfish in his servant leadership of the BCLC, he worked closely with the State Missions Commission in the funding of new churches as well as assisting existing churches. This spirit of cooperation enabled a growing number of churches to minister in the Texas mission field.” Bowles retired in 1999 to spend more time with family and his volunteer interests as a Bible study teacher, deacon, church mission trip volunteer and choir member. “A multitude of persons found abundant life in Christ through the ministry of Bruce Bowles,” Pinson said. Bowles is survived by his wife of more than 65 years, Phyllis; daughter, Cindy Emory; son and daughter-in-law Jeff and Dawn Bowles; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Mildred Beatrice McWhorter, former home missionary who directed the Mission Centers of Houston from 1963 to 1992, died June 17 in Franklin, Ga. She was 87. She was born June 26, 1930, near Centralhatchee, Ga., and grew up attending Centralhatchee Baptist Church, where she learned John 3:16. At the age 13, she became aware the “whosoever” mentioned in that verse referred to her, and she committed her life to following Jesus Christ. She attended Berry College in Rome, Ga., where she earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, and then went on to study at the Carver School of Missions and Social Work in Louisville, Ky. After applying for foreign missions service and being rejected, she taught school in Gwinnett County, Ga., until a contact at the Southern Baptist Convention’s Home Mission Board encouraged her to consider missions in the United States. She accepted a missions director position in Port Arthur, where she served five years before she was invited to work in inner-city Houston. She built what became the Mission Centers of Houston in multiple locations and coordinated the work of hundreds of volunteers—particularly college and seminary students she affectionately referred to as her “critters.” Through the years, “Miss Mac,” as she was known, encountered many families who needed her love, but one particular family became her own. Three boys—Carl Guevara, Lloyd Lane and Terry Lane—arrived at the center when they were young. After their mother died, McWhorter accepted them as her sons. After McWhorter retired from the mission centers in 1992, she returned to Centralhatchee. She was preceded in death by Lloyd Lane and her brother, Bryant McWhorter. She is survived by Carl Lee Guevara of Houston and Terry Lane of Franklin, Ga.; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Mission Centers of Houston at P.O. Box 30417, Houston, TX 77249.