Texas Baptist Sunday school leader Bernie Spooner dies
Bernie Spooner—considered “Mister Sunday School” to a generation of Texas Baptists—died Aug. 9 in Dallas. He was 89.
Spooner served 22 years with the State Missions Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas as director of what initially was known as the Sunday School Division and later the Bible Study/Discipleship Division.
While on Texas Baptists’ staff, he was instrumental in the early development of Bible study curriculum published by BaptistWay Press, now known as GC2 Press.
William M. Pinson Jr., BGCT executive director emeritus, said Spooner “exemplified the Christian servant leader in multiple ways.”
“Deeply dedicated to Christ and devoted to the Baptist family, in his quiet, creative, effective way he contributed to the mission of our Lord in an amazing variety of ways. Local churches, Baptist universities and seminaries, the Baptist General Convention of Texas and multiple other entities benefited from his thoughtful input,” Pinson said.
“Serving with him was a joy. He combined leadership and teamship beautifully. Always thoughtful and encouraging, his can-do approach led to success. He took general ideas and goals and fleshed them out into effective ministries. Never flashy but always humbly creative, he had an amazing ability to bring dreams of ministry to reality.
“Deeply devoted to Pat, his wife, the two of them made a winsome ministry team. I thank God for Bernie Spooner and the wonderful contributions he made to my life and to the lives of multitudes around the world.”
Chris Liebrum, vice president for external affairs at Howard Payne University, served with Spooner at the BGCT, including working directly for him 15 years as youth ministry consultant.
“Bernie Spooner was one of the most influential leaders in my life,” Liebrum said. “In 1985, I went to work for him, and the relationship of boss developed over years to becoming one of my best friends.
“His influence on Christian education has not only touched thousands of Texas Baptists, but has reached all over the U.S. and around the world. If I had a Mount Rushmore, Bernie Spooner would be on it.”
Inaugural graduate school dean at DBU
Prior to serving at the BGCT, Spooner worked 15 years as minister of education and administration at several churches, including Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth. He also served two years as associate professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
After he retired from the BGCT staff, he became inaugural dean of the Gary Cook School of Leadership and professor of Christian education at Dallas Baptist University.
“We were thrilled to have Dr. Spooner join us at DBU after he retired from the BGCT,” DBU Chancellor Gary Cook said. “He was truly a servant leader who inspired us all.”
During his time at DBU, Spooner helped to develop eight master’s degrees and one Ph.D. program, and he was involved in publishing eight textbooks.
Bernard Myrick Spooner was born Oct. 15, 1934, in Pine Hill, Ala., to Earl and Lomie Spooner.
He graduated from Mississippi College with a degree in business and economics. While a student at Mississippi College, he met Patricia Fowler. They married in 1957, and they spent the next few years in Quantico, Va., and Oceanside, Calif., when Bernie was in the U.S. Marine Corps.
After sensing God’s call into Christian ministry, he earned a master’s degree in religious education and a doctorate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
In 2021, the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation created the Bernard and Patricia Spooner Endowed Scholarship to support the staff and ministries of Texas Baptists’ Discipleship, an office within the Center for Church Health.
Spooner served two decades as secretary of the corporation for the BGCT.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Myra Joan Bush, and by his older brother, Bill Spooner.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Patricia; a daughter, Jane Spooner Vanderhoef and her husband, David; four grandchildren; and two sisters, Betty Gambino and Jean Bowling.
Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Aug. 17 at Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving, with a memorial service following at 11 a.m. Memorial gifts may be made to the Bernie and Pat Spooner Christian Education Scholarship fund at Dallas Baptist University.
Joseph Francis “Joe” Keith, longtime Texas Baptist church musician and denominational worker, died Aug. 3 in Conroe. He was 83. He was born Feb. 1, 1941, to Paul and Winnie Keith in Longview. After graduating from McAllen High School, he attended the University of Corpus Christi, where he met his future wife Lynn. They married in 1962. He graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree and then enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, where he earned his Master of Church Music degree in 1974. He served Baptist churches throughout Texas most of his life, beginning with playing the piano and organ for church services in Marfa as a young teen. In the 1960s, he spent summers leading youth revivals around Texas. While a student at the University of Corpus Christi, he led the music at First Baptist Church in Rockport. He later served churches in Kerens, Portland, Alvin, Houston and Huntsville in the areas of music, youth, education and administration. In 1987, he began working with the Church Information Services division of the Baptist Sunday School Board. Later, he transitioned to helping churches with their literature needs until he retired in 2007 after 20 years at what became Lifeway Christian Resources. He also served several churches around the Fort Worth and Houston areas as an interim music minister during these years. He sang with the Singing Men of Southeast Texas more than 30 years, played handbells with the RingForth handbell choir at The Woodlands First Baptist Church and was a member of the Southern Baptist Religious Education Association. He was preceded in death by his brother, Paul Keith Jr., and sister, Yvonne Pitts. He is survived by his wife Lynn; daughter Kathy Taylor and her husband Paul; son Alan Keith and his wife Linda; daughter Kay Campbell and her husband Jason; seven grandchildren: and three great-grandchildren. Memorial gifts may be made to 
Nina Flo Roe of Cleburne, supportive wife to a pastor and associational director of missions, died Aug. 4. She was 91. She was born March 3, 1933, and grew up attending South Fort Worth Baptist Church. She graduated from Pascal High School and attended Texas Wesleyan University. She married Bill Roe in June of 1952, and he was drafted soon after. In 1955, their first child, Susan, was born and her husband was called to the gospel ministry. After he completed his studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and their second child, Dwight, was born, Nina became a full-time pastor’s wife. Their third child, Melissa, was born in 1962. For more than 50 years, the Roes’ lives intertwined with different churches and people. Nina stood by her husband’s side throughout his ministry as a pastor of churches in North Texas and North Central Texas, during his time working for the Baptist General Convention of Texas and during his service as an associational director of missions. She is preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Bill Roe; daughter, Susan Lauderback; and son, Dwight Roe. She is survived by daughter Melissa Powell and her husband; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in her honor to Field Street Baptist Church, 201 N. Field St. Cleburne, TX 76033.
Dennis Brooks Linam, who served more than three decades in various administrative roles at Dallas Baptist University, died Aug. 3 in Arlington. He was 83. He was born on July 12, 1941, in Waco to Raymond and Evelyn Brooks Linam and grew up attending Seventh and James Baptist Church in Waco, where his father was a deacon and his mother taught Sunday school. During his senior year at Waco High School, he met a newly arrived sophomore student, Gail Green. He immediately was smitten when she bought a football spirit ribbon from him. He invited her to sit with him on the bus ride from Waco to Temple for a football game when she was 15 and he was 17. They never dated anyone else and were married on Aug. 15, 1964. He attended Baylor University and graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a degree in architecture. He worked as an urban planner with the City of Waco. In that role, he was instrumental in the development of Indian Spring Park and amphitheater, designed the Freedom Fountain at the Waco Convention Center, and helped coordinate the Waco Bicentennial Celebration at Baylor Stadium. He also hosted President Gerald Ford when he visited Waco’s historic Suspension Bridge. During this time, Gail served as the minister of childhood education at Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, where Dennis taught the young adult Sunday School class. He was ordained as a deacon in 1971. He resigned his position at the City of Waco to support his father in managing a large cattle ranch. In 1988, Gary Cook invited the Linams to join him at Dallas Baptist University, where he had just been named president. Despite the university’s financial peril, Cook shared his conviction that daily fervent prayer by the university family and friends would lead to a transformed institution. For more than 30 years, Linam played a significant role in the life of DBU, serving as a friend, mentor, administrator and leader to many. He supported various campus infrastructure projects, utilizing his experience as an architect and city planner. He also served as the university’s liaison to alumni of Decatur Baptist College, which later became Dallas Baptist University. In 1990, he was named vice president for external affairs. In this role, he offered ongoing support, encouragement and friendship to pastors across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In 1992, he became director of the John G. Mahler Student Center, coordinating and hosting countless events over many years. Dennis also worked with the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas in their efforts to encourage Texas State legislators to support the Texas Equalization Grant. Every year, he took outstanding DBU students to Austin to meet with state representatives and senators to highlight the value of this important program. In recognition of his tireless efforts, the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas presented him with the President’s Award in 2004. He was named a DBU Honorary Alumnus, a Decatur Baptist College Honorary Alumnus, DBU Staff Member of the Year, and DBU awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree. He served as a deacon and in a variety of other leadership roles at First Baptist Church in Arlington. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Gail Linam; his daughters, Angela Linam and Diane Linam; his son, Brooks Linam; beloved grandson, Spencer Brooks Linam; his mother, Sherri Linam; and his brother, Ronald Linam and wife, Lin Hai. Memorial gifts may be sent to the Dennis Linam Endowed Scholarship Fund at Dallas Baptist University, 3000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX 75211.
Carmel Credille (C.C.) Risenhoover, Baptist pastor, accomplished author and professional communicator, died Aug. 2 in Temple. He was 88. He was born June 18, 1936, in Broken Bow, Okla., to Viola and Credille Risenhoover and grew up in Jasper. During high school, he excelled in academics, football and baseball. He later went on to pitch for the Jasper Steers, an otherwise all-Black barnstorming professional baseball team in 1954. He wrote the novel White Heat based on that experience, and he sold the movie option for a motion picture called Outside the Lines. He earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree from Baylor University, and he later served as Baylor’s public relations director. He served as an airman in the U.S. Air Force and received the Meritorious Service Medal awarded by the Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States for selfless and classified service during conflict and war, which resulted in sacrifice and injury. His professional background included working as an investigative reporter and serving as editorial consultant for the nation’s largest electronic warfare systems developer. He was the first baseball coach at what was then called Houston Baptist College. He served as a professor at Sam Houston State University, Eastfield College, Southern Methodist University, Henderson State University and Chemeketa College. He also was press representative for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, assistant to the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Radio and Television Commission and executive director of Lifeline World Mission. His pastorates included First Baptist Church in Kirbyville; Elwood Baptist Church in Forest Hill, La.; Old Spanish Trail Baptist Church in Houston; Gateway Baptist Church in Granbury; and The Church on Thistle Ridge in Granbury. He wrote the script for the Promise Keepers film titled The Awesome Power of Shared Belief and was ghostwriter of the book Once Upon a Texas Train, which was made into a CBS-TV movie. He was the author of more than 40 books and wrote more than 1,000 articles and stories published in 50 magazines. He was recommended for the Pulitzer Prize and Ernie Pyle Award, Black History Month Friendship Award for work on racial reconciliation and the Arkansas Governor’s Award. He was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. He is survived by his wife of 30 years and partner in ministry, Georgia Risenhoover of Temple; son, Paul Risenhoover of Granbury; daughter, Elizabeth Buchanan and husband Bob of Dallas; son, Tim Risenhoover and wife Karen of Florida; daughter, Robyn Risenhoover of Fort Worth; daughter, Bran Brogdon of Virginia; son, Jeff Knight of Fort Worth; son, Justin Knight of Temple; 11 grandchildren; and three sisters, Roberta Lynch of Nederland, Mary DeRorre of Jasper and Emma Jones of Andrews.
Steven Craig Storie, longtime director of media services at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his wife Ann Nichols Storie died July 23 from injuries sustained in a head-on collision. He was 68, and she was 65. He was born Dec. 15, 1955, in Blackwell, Okla., to Bobby Gene Storie and Wilma Jean Hoover Storie. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in electronics from Oklahoma State University. She was born Jan. 21, 1959, in Daingerfield to Joseph Bruce Nichols and Ernestine Crutchfield Nichols. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Texas Christian University. The Stories were married on Aug. 8, 1981. Steve worked in media services at Southwestern Baptist Seminary for 31 years. He was instrumental in the transportation, installation and operation of audio and other technical equipment at annual meetings of the Southern Baptist Convention, and he served in a similar capacity at Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meetings. He was a volunteer with Texas Baptist Men disaster relief and worked with media at Acton Baptist Church in Granbury. He also served six years as a volunteer firefighter for the Godley Fire Department and drove a school bus. Ann worked 18 years as a neonatal intensive care unit nurse at Harris Hospital in Fort Worth before moving to school nursing, where she continued to love and care for children. They are survived by a son, Jonathan Nichols Storie and his wife, Jacquelyn Heather Storie; a son, Michael Storie and his wife, Becky Storie, and two granddaughters, Lauren Elizabeth and Ashlyn Elise Storie. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial gifts to the youth ministry of Acton Baptist Church in Granbury.
Mickey Ruth Fulwiler Burleson, an avid conservationist and supporter of Texas Baptists’ River Ministry who assisted women in the Mexican village of La Caldera by helping market their handmade quilts to buyers in Texas, died July 13. She was 87. She was born to parents Mary Elizabeth “Beth” Sparger and Jarrett “Law” Fulwiler in Belton on March 31, 1937. At an early age, she contracted polio, which paralyzed her right arm. After an extended stay at Providence Hospital in Waco and a lengthy recovery that involved daily exercise, she recovered the use of her right arm. As a person who believed deeply in truth, equity and justice, she valued learning and believed in growth and change through education and advocacy. She earned her undergraduate degree from Baylor University and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Iowa. After completing graduate school, she and Bob Burleson married. Theirs would become a partnership in exploring many of the Earth’s natural places and in caring for the Earth, its creatures and inhabitants. Together, and later with their daughters Clair and Lea, they hiked, backpacked, camped, rafted, canoed and kayaked, bringing others along with them and working to preserve and protect special places as they did. Their efforts were important in securing federal protection of the Rio Grande area, the declaration of the Guadalupe Mountains area as a national park, and the creation of the Big Bend Ranch State Park. They also cared for the Earth’s people, working wholeheartedly along with many other volunteers in River Ministry, a Christian mission to assist people in villages along the Texas-Mexico border. They helped bring dental and medical care to them, assisted with community building projects and fostered an income-producing quilting project—the 
Minette Williams Drumwright Pratt, missions advocate and denominational servant, died June 15. She was 93. She was born Nov. 3, 1930, in Nixon to Tallie Williams and Minnie Musgrave Williams. Shortly thereafter, her family moved to San Antonio where her father was pastor of Northside Baptist Church until he retired. She earned an undergraduate degree in English from Baylor University in 1951. At Baylor, she met and fell in love with Huber L. Drumwright Jr., a young pastor and doctoral student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. They married shortly after her graduation. While he went on to become pastor of churches in Texas and Oklahoma, she led numerous missions action projects, Bible studies, Bible schools and Woman’s Missionary Union groups. The Drumwrights moved to Fort Worth in 1960 for Huber to become a professor of Greek and New Testament at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He later became dean of the School of Theology, and she took on the duties of a dean’s spouse while continuing many of her own pursuits. Her passion for missions action flourished through a cutting-edge initiative, the Baptist Center at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. She designed and led programs for low-income women, battered women, orphans, unwed mothers and women prisoners. She was in great demand as a speaker and served on boards of the Woman’s Missionary Union, Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board), Baptist General Convention of Texas, Seminary Woman’s Club, Woman’s Club of Fort Worth, Friends of the Fort Worth Library, Lena Pope Children’s Home, Edna Gladney Home and Dorcas House. She attended Southwestern Seminary and later served as president of the Southwestern Seminary Alumni. In 1978, she wrote a seminary extension study guide, Women in the Church. She received the Mrs. J.M. Dawson Award for outstanding contributions to the denomination from the Southern Baptist Convention Ministers’ Wives Conference in 1984. In 1980, the Drumwrights moved to Little Rock, Ark., where he served as executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Arkansas. After 18 months, Huber died of a sudden heart attack when Minette was 50 years old. Shortly thereafter, she was asked to join the leadership team of Keith Parks and Bill O’Brien at the Foreign Mission Board in Richmond, Va. She worked at the FMB 13 years and was the inaugural director of international prayer strategies, through which she designed programs to engage churches and individuals in prayer for foreign missions. She launched a prayer line relaying the latest prayer requests of missionaries, and she traveled the world to speak, teach, preach and lead programs on prayer in places such as Moldova, China and Africa. As she stated, “Although some governments won’t let missionaries in, they can’t keep the effects of prayer out.” She wrote two books—The Life That Prays: Reflections on Prayer as a Strategy and When My Faith Feels Shallow: Pursuing the Depths of God—and a seminary extension study guide, Women in the Church. After retiring, she returned to Fort Worth. She served on the Baylor University board of regents from 1999 to 2008. She fell in love with William (Bill) Pratt, a retired Baptist pastor and psychologist, and they married in 2002. He was a devoted, loving partner to her through her long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease until his death in April of 2024. She is survived by two daughters, Minette (Meme) Drumwright and husband H.W. Perry Jr., and Debra Underwood and husband Max; three grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren; two stepchildren—Martha Pratt Wainwright and husband Larry, and James Pratt and wife Dana; six step-grandchildren; and many step-great-grandchildren. The family requests that donations be made to Baylor University—Drumwright Family Lecture Fund (Honors College), William and Minette Pratt Scholarship Fund (Dianna R. Garland School of Social Work), Louise Herrington School of Nursing—or Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth.
Nancy Layne Russell, longtime Texas Baptist church musician, died May 24 in Lubbock after a two-year battle with cancer. She was 76. She was born Aug. 13, 1947, in Bellmead. After graduating from La Vega High School, she went on to Baylor University, where she graduated in 1969 with a degree in secondary education. She served as the director of curriculum and instruction for Dublin Independent School District and was a beloved high school English and speech teacher at Pecos Barstow Toyah Independent School District and Bellville Independent School District. She served as organist and pianist at multiple churches, including First Baptist Church in Lubbock, First Baptist Church in Stephenville and First Baptist Church in Pecos. For more than two decades, she also was organist for Paisano Baptist Encampment. She found great joy in raising monarch butterflies in her backyard, which was a certified Monarch Waystation, teaching piano to her grandchildren and creating jewelry. She also delighted in serving as a volunteer at Covenant Health, sharing her culinary creations and staying in touch with friends on Facebook. Her daily walks around Miller Park were a cherished routine. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dudley and Lora Lee Layne, and her siblings, Bobbie Layne Alleman and Sara Jo Watkins. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Roger Russell; sons Sean Russell and Alan Russell; and grandchildren Noah and Lilly Russell. A celebration of life service is scheduled at 11 a.m. on June 1 at First Baptist Church in Lubbock. In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts to the Joe Arrington Cancer Center.
Raymond Gerald Dunkin, former Texas Baptist pastor and associational director of missions, died May 6 in McKinney. He was 89. He was born to Raymond H. Dunkin and Arlene Osborn Dunkin in Houston on June 19, 1934. He preached his first sermon at age 15 at the Star of Hope Rescue Mission in downtown Houston. After graduating from Milby High School in Houston, he went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Baylor University and a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While in seminary, he served two churches as pastor: Little Cedar Baptist Church near Antlers, Okla., and Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Ratcliff. He went on to become pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Lufkin, First Baptist Church in Quitman and Bellmead First Baptist Church of Waco. In August 1988, he was asked to become director of missions for Unity Baptist Association in Lufkin, where he served until his retirement. Highlights of his ministry include his leadership in an evangelistic citywide crusade resulting in hundreds of professions of faith; leading in two mission ventures in Winona, Minn., and Chihuahua City, Mexico; developing a senior adult ministry and criminal restorative ministry; serving on the Human Welfare Coordinating Board for the Baptist General Convention of Texas; and, in association with Texas Partnerships, taking a team to Homebush, Australia, to lead in an evangelistic crusade. Upon his retirement, he became a regional consultant with Texas Partnerships. Throughout his retirement, he conducted numerous revivals, conferences and interim pastorates. He was preceded in death by his wife Gerry Jane, a former president of Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas. He is survived by his daughter, Cindy and her husband Dale Long of McKinney; son Carl and his wife Lynn of Chattanooga, Tenn.; son Chris and his wife Amber, of China Spring; eight grandchildren; 19 great grandchildren; his sisters Carol Hedgepath of Burleson and Nelda Rothermel of Fort Worth; and his brother Ron of Cement, Okla. A funeral service will be held at noon on May 24 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Chapel in Allen. The service will also be livestreamed at 
William A. Lawson, longtime Houston pastor and civil rights leader, died May 14. He was 95. He was born on June 28, 1928, to William Lawson Sr. and Clarisse Riggs. They divorced when Lawson was a toddler, and he was adopted by his mother’s second husband, Walter Cade. At that time, he gained three siblings—Walter Cade Jr., Catherine and Joe Williams. In 1955, he moved to Houston with his late wife, Audrey, and a young daughter to serve as director of the Baptist Student Union at Texas Southern University. In 1962, he founded Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, where he served as pastor for 42 years. Upon his retirement in 2004, the congregation named him as pastor emeritus. Beyond the walls of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, Lawson helped change the face of Houston by leading the battle to desegregate the city. He joined the national civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. by setting up a local office of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. King remained a close friend. Lawson and the late Rabbi Samuel Karff and the late Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza—dubbed the “Three Amigos”—worked together to tackle many of Houston’s major issues, including homelessness, racism and inequality, and they were instrumental in the creation of a public defender’s office. Lawson was preceded in death by his wife Audrey and son Eric. He is survived by daughters Melanie, Cheryl and Roxanne; two granddaughters; and two great-grandsons. A community service of celebration is scheduled at 6 p.m. on May 23 and a congregational service at 11 a.m. on May 24, both at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston.
Vassar Compton “Skip” Holman of San Antonio, former Texas Baptist minister and missions volunteer, died April 29. He was 73. He was born Aug. 19, 1950 in San Antonio. He was taken to Nixon by his adoptive parents, Florine Goodman Holman and Vassar Compton Holman Jr. He later moved to Pasadena until his mother remarried and the family moved to LaPorte, where he graduated from high school. He attended Houston Baptist University for a short time before transferring to Baylor University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion. He married Marilyn Browning on Dec. 21, 1973, in the chapel of Tidwell Bible Building on the Baylor campus. The couple moved to Leominster, Mass., as US-2 missionaries working in church starts. After completing their time as US-2 missionaries, they moved to Nederland, where he became minister of youth and activities at Hillcrest Baptist Church. While serving there, the Holmans adopted their first son, Curtis Compton Holman in 1977. The family then moved to Houston, where Holman served as a staff member of several churches including Jersey Village Baptist, Memorial Baptist and Tallowood Baptist. Holman served 22 years as pastor of First Baptist Church in Boling. While serving in Boling, Holman became active in Texas Baptist Men disaster relief, and the family adopted sons John Gary Holman and Don Yoo. He was involved in community activities such as Lion’s Club and served as a substitute teacher. He also was reunited with his birth mother Peggy Walker Drobinski and her husband Richard Drobinski, and he was blessed to become acquainted with three brothers, Larry, Chuck and Jimmy Drobinski, and three sisters, Suzanne Leritz, Julie Brookman and Sharon Schultz. After suffering a near-fatal automobile accident that left him unable to walk for three years, Holman became the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator for Wharton County. After retiring from the church in Boling, he worked part-time as the minister of discipleship at Northeast Baptist Church in San Antonio. Holman also handled discipleship resources for Blackaby Ministries including staffing book tables at conferences and providing Bibles and materials for many people through his nonprofit Barnabas Bibles and Books. When his health made it necessary to enter long-term care, he participated in his Sunday school class by phone. This, along with his Baylor football and basketball game watch parties with Marilyn, were the highlight of his last days. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Marilyn Browning Holman; sons Curtis Compton Holman, John Gary Holman and Don Yoo; and two granddaughters, Jasmine and Hannah Holman. Services are scheduled at 10 a.m. on May 18 at Grace Bible Chapel, 18911 Redland Road in San Antonio. Memorial donations may be made to TBM-Texans on Mission disaster relief or Gideons International.