Aubrey Howell of Lubbock, longtime Baptist pastor, died June 29. He was 92. He was born in Whiteface to Henry Robert and Mearl Howell. He married college sweetheart Jewell Howell on Sept. 4, 1954, in Petersburg, and they celebrated 70 years of marriage last September. His mentor, Bill Clauterbaugh, shaped his early ministry, guiding him from Happy Valley Church in Carlsbad, N.M., to seminary and beyond. He served 64 years in ministry as pastor of churches across Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. He retired at age 88 from Mackenzie Terrace Baptist Church in Lubbock. He was preceded in death by brothers, Duane, David and Virgil. He is survived by his wife Jewell; daughters Thana, Lana and Tami, along with their spouses; six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; a brother, Ray Howell; and his best friend, Ted James. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Wayland Baptist University.

Bill Moyers, a renowned broadcast journalist with strong Texas Baptist roots, died June 26 in New York, N.Y. He was 91.

He first became known nationally as deputy director of the Peace Corps during the Kennedy administration, special assistant to President Lyndon Johnson and White House press secretary during the Johnson administration.

After a few years as publisher of Newsday in Long Island, N.Y., he moved to television, where he hosted “Bill Moyers Journal” on public television and worked two stints with CBS News.

He and his wife Judith went on to form their own production company, Public Affairs Television, where Moyers had greater editorial freedom to conduct in-depth interviews and produce documentaries on a wide range of subjects.

Moyers won 13 Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and three George Polk Awards for contributions to journalistic integrity and investigative reporting. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995.

But before all of that, Moyers grew up in an East Texas Baptist church, preached in rural churches, served as pastor of Texas Baptist congregations and earned a degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Billy Don Moyers was born in Hugo, Okla., but grew up in Marshall, where he and his family worshipped at Central Baptist Church.

As a teenager, he worked at the Marshall News Messenger, dropping the “y” from his first name because he thought it looked better in a byline.

He also responded to what he discerned at the time as a call to ministry, preaching summer revival meetings in rural churches around East Texas.

Shared interest in ‘Baptist life and ethics’

William M. Pinson Jr., executive director emeritus of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, was close friends with Moyers more than seven decades.

Their friendship dated back to their early student days at what was then North Texas State College. Moyers served as Pinson’s campaign manager when he ran for student body president.

“Strong from the beginning, with a common interest in Baptist life and ethics, that friendship grew even stronger in the ensuing years,” Pinson said.

He recalled Moyers as “highly intelligent and a genius with words.”

“I witnessed this firsthand when we were students. He would come to my little garage apartment with a load of books and a typewriter and sit and read the books and then type out a multi-page assignment in one sitting—a process I had spent weeks on,” Pinson said.

“Yet, he remained basically humble and soft spoken. He had an intuitive ability to evaluate a need and act quickly, and usually helpfully, to meet it. Thoughtful and fun-loving, with a winsome smile and a streak of mischief, he made friends easily. We always enjoyed times together.”

Influenced by ethicist T.B. Maston

Their “friendship was cemented” when Pinson and Moyers spent a year together studying at New College of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

“We also spent months visiting missionaries in Europe,” he recalled. “To travel, we either hitchhiked or drove a car so small you put it on rather than getting in. During those months of togetherness, we forged a bond that was to last almost three quarters of a century.”

Both Pinson and Moyers studied at Southwestern Seminary under trailblazing Christian ethics professor T.B. Maston.

“Dr. Maston’s teaching and writing were often controversial, and so were Bill’s. But neither wavered in a commitment to share the truth as they perceived it—even when it sometimes cost Bill his job,” Pinson said.

While he was a seminary student, Moyers worked as the seminary’s director of information and also was a rural Texas Baptist pastor.

“When I look back, the people to whom I am most indebted are those warm and patient and loving people at Brandon and Weir and Shiloh and Loco who could, despite what I said between 11 and 12 o’clock, have me to dinner at 12:30 and still be a friend,” he said in a 1982 interview with Stan Hastey, published in Report from the Capital.

Shaped by Central Baptist in Marshall

In the wide-ranging television documentaries he produced through the years, Moyers frequently returned to subjects related to religion and ethics, with programs such as “Amazing Grace,” “Genesis: A Living Conversation” and “A World of Ideas.”

In 1987, Moyers produced “The Battle for the Bible” as part of his series on “God and Politics.” It focused on what winners of the battle later called the “Conservative Resurgence” and critics called the “Fundamentalist Takeover” of the Southern Baptist Convention.

“The stakes are not only theological. The battle for the Bible is also political—a battle for church and state, a battle for America,” Moyers said in the documentary.

During a segment filmed at Central Baptist Church in Marshall, Moyers said: “Everything I learned about faith and democracy I learned from this congregation. I didn’t learn a creed from these people. There was no creed and no coercion. … They taught me to read the Bible for myself. … The important thing was my own experience with the Bible—not what anyone said about the Bible, but what the Bible said to me.”

When Moyers spoke at Central Baptist Church’s 50th anniversary in 1993, Pastor Wallace Watkins introduced the award-winning broadcaster simply as “Henry and Ruby Moyers’ son.”

“This church is so much a part of my own story that I would not be able to explain myself to my grandson without it,” Moyers told the congregation.

Learned lifelong lessons in faith

He reflected on lessons he learned at the East Texas church.

“I learned about humanity in this church. I learned about frailty and forgiveness and fellowship,” he said.

Moyers remembered taking his “first baby steps in faith” at Central Baptist Church. He described time when he “squirmed … prayed … held hands and flirted with pretty girls … [and] wrestled with hard questions” at the church.

The Baptist distinctive of soul competency was central to the faith he learned at Central Baptist Church, Moyers said.

“Created with the imprint of divinity from the mixed clay of Earth, you and I are endowed with the freedom and capacity to be ‘response-able’—a grown-up before God. When God touched that clay, God touched our minds with the power to think and reason,” he told the congregation.

“Truth is not some doctrinal proposition frozen like flavor in a popsicle. Truth emerges from experience and encounter and sharing in a community of faith whose members struggle daily to love justice and mercy and to walk humbly with the Lord. Truth breathes life into tradition.”

Tommy Culwell, Texas Baptist pastor and chaplain, died June 15. He was 74. He was born at Hendrick Memorial Hospital in Abilene to Billy and Joy Culwell on Sept. 29, 1950. He attended high school at Anson High School and went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hardin-Simmons University in 1973. He worked as an admissions counselor at Hardin-Simmons University for three years before answering God’s call to ministry and serving many faithful years as a Baptist pastor across Texas. He went on to earn his Master of Divinity degree and Doctor of Ministry degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He married Laquita Jane Ross on August 26, 1978, at Midway Baptist Church in Big Spring. He served seven years as pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Taylor, three years at Belmont Baptist Church in Abilene, seven years at First Baptist Church in Seymour and 21 years at Colonial Hill Baptist Church in Snyder. In 2017, he went to work as a staff chaplain and pastoral care educator at Hendrick Health for seven years. In 2022, he returned to the pulpit, pastoring at First Baptist Church in Cisco for three more years. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Laquita Culwell; daughter Amanda Wyatt and her husband Jerry; daughter Laura Anders and her husband Dusty; and two grandchildren, Tommy and Joy Wyatt. Memorials may be given to Hardin-Simmons University and First Baptist Church in Cisco.

Larry Johnson, former missionary to Peru and Mexico, died April 28. He was 90. He was born Oct. 9, 1934, in Veribest to Jean S. and Wynama Johnson. He received the Associate of Arts degree from Angelo State University in San Angelo. On April 18, 1953, he married his high school sweetheart, Joy Clark. He farmed, worked as a traveling feed salesman, and was a real estate broker throughout the rest of the 1950s. He then returned to farming full time. The Johnsons were members of First Baptist Church in San Angelo. While seeking missionary appointment he wrote: “I became personally interested in the mission field during my trip to Fortaleza, Brazil, in the winter of 1981. I have since sought the Lord’s will in my life in regard to the mission field and have been led to this point.” In 1984, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board) appointed Larry and Joy Johnson as missionaries to Peru. They served in agricultural evangelism, digging wells, building roads, developing schools and churches, supporting and aiding community orphanages, and creating high-altitude tree planting. They later served in Mexico. He was preceded in death by his son, David Johnson. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Joy; his children, Lucy Johnson of Cajamarca, Peru, and Lucky Clark Johnson of Mexico; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Ebbie Cullen Smith, Christian ethicist and Baptist missionary, died June 2. He was 93. He was born April 26, 1932, in Houston to Thomas and Merle Smith. After he graduated from Conroe High School, he pursued his undergraduate degree from Hardin-Simmons University, working two jobs—in the campus dining hall and as a janitor—to pay for his education. During his time at Hardin-Simmons, he also became a pastor and married his high school sweetheart Donna. After the Smiths both graduated from Hardin-Simmons in 1954, they moved to Fort Worth where Ebbie earned his Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy degrees while pastoring several churches. Following his graduation from seminary, the Smiths went to the mission field in Indonesia, where they served for 15 years. He taught at the Indonesia pastor training school and earned another master’s degree in missions. While in Indonesia, the couple tragically lost their son Roger in a motorcycle accident on June 12, 1973, and returned home to the states shortly after. Smith began his teaching career at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he was a professor 22 years. After retiring from Southwestern, Ebbie earned another master’s degree in sociology, worked as a hospital chaplain, and served as interim pastor for several churches. Throughout his career, he also wrote 12 books, co-authored four books and co-edited a major book on missions. Ultimately, he felt called back to teaching and became an adjunct professor of sociology and philosophy professor at Tarrant County College, where he taught until age 91. He was preceded in death by brothers, Noel and Gary, and by sons Roger and Randy. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Donna; his son Robin; daughter Rianna; seven grandchildren Roger, Michael, Becky, Donald, Nathan, Cody and Danielle; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild. A memorial service is scheduled at 11 a.m. on June 12 at Southwayside Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

(RNS)—Jennifer Lyell, an editor and author whose promising career in Christian publishing was derailed when she accused a former Southern Baptist leader of abuse, died June 7. She was 47.

“Jennifer passed gently into the arms of her Redeemer, surrounded by loved ones,” said her friend Rachael Denhollander, who said Lyell had suffered “a series of massive strokes, leading to her becoming unconscious sometime Monday afternoon. She was found Thursday evening after missing a medical appointment.”

For much of her adult life, Lyell had been a Southern Baptist success story. She came to faith at 20 at a Billy Graham crusade, went to seminary, dreamed of becoming a missionary, taught the Bible to young women and children and became a vice president at Lifeway Christian Resources.

At Lifeway, she worked on about a dozen New York Times bestsellers, according to a biography from her time at Lifeway.

By 2019, she was one of the highest-ranking women leaders in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Lyell had gone into publishing reluctantly, after her desire to be a missionary went unfulfilled.

“Eventually, I’m always convicted of the reality that my life is not my own. It was bought at an incomprehensible price,” she said in a 2009 profile published by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where Lyell had earned a master of divinity degree.

Reported 12 years of abuse

While at seminary in 2004, the 26-year-old Lyell met David Sills, a professor in his late 40s who became her mentor and a surrogate father figure, welcoming her into his family. Sills was also president of Reaching & Teaching International Ministries, a missionary nonprofit.

In 2018, Lyell told her bosses Sills allegedly had used force and his spiritual influence to coerce her into nonconsensual sexual acts over the course of 12 years. Sills admitted to misconduct and resigned from his seminary post and as president of the nonprofit, but no details were made public.

But when Sills found a new job with another Christian ministry the next year, Lyell went public with her allegations of abuse, telling her story to Baptist Press.

Rather than portraying her claims as abuse, the Baptist Press article said Lyell had had “a morally inappropriate relationship” with a seminary professor. That story later was retracted, and Baptist Press apologized.

But the damage was done. Lyell was labeled a temptress and adulteress who led a Christian leader astray. She was showered with hate, with pastors and churches calling for her to be fired.

A prominent activist journalist published an account alleging Lyell had been less than truthful and arguing Sills had been denied a chance to return to ministry. Lyell eventually left her job at Lifeway amid the turmoil.

“We are saddened to hear the news of the passing of Jennifer Lyell. Lifeway sends our prayers and deepest sympathies to Jennifer’s family and friends,” Lifeway spokesperson Carol Pipes said in a June 8 statement.

“It takes years and years to recover from trauma, and no one should be in the position of having to explain it to the whole public while they’re still trying to do that,” Lyell told Religion News Service in a 2021 interview, in which she said she regretted coming forward.

Led to Guideposts investigation

Controversy over the Baptist Press story, as well as other accusations that SBC leaders had mishandled abuse cases, led the denomination to order a major investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s handling of abuse.

A 2022 report published by the investigative firm Guidepost Solutions found the SBC had mistreated survivors and long sought to downplay the problem of abuse in the denomination, leading to a series of reforms.

The report, however, led to more trouble for Lyell. Sills sued the SBC and its leaders after the Guidepost report appeared, saying they had conspired to make him a scapegoat and asserting he was “repentant and obedient.” He also sued Lyell.

Lyell never backed down from her account. Earlier this year, in a deposition, she detailed the alleged abuse and how the Bible had been used to silence her for years.

“I do not need to be under oath to tell the truth—and there are no lies that will shake my certainty of what is true,” she said in a social media post when the suit was filed.

Lyell had rebuilt her life after leaving Christian publishing, attending law school and finding a new career. But like many adult women who accuse male spiritual leaders of abuse, she continued to be viewed with suspicion.

Her death comes as reforms in the SBC protocols on abuse have slowed and one of the major planned reforms, a database to track abusive leaders, appears to be stalled permanently.

Still, Lyell never relented, said fellow survivor Tiffany Thigpen.

“She inspired me. She encouraged me,” Thigpen said. “She made me feel better about myself than I thought I deserved. And when I tried to deflect her words, she’d stop me and say: ‘No, stop. I need you to hear me.’”

Megan Lively, another abuse survivor, said her friend was “much more than the awful things that happened to her.” In a text to RNS, Lively noted that Lyell, who loved the music of Rich Mullins and the “West Wing” television show, was a Sunday school teacher and author of The Promises of God Storybook Bible for kids.

“She was one of the smartest and generous people I will know. She loved her Savior and is now at peace,” Lively said in a text.

Lyell is the second prominent SBC abuse survivor to die in recent months. In May, Duane Rollins, whose allegations of abuse against Texas judge and Southern Baptist leader Paul Pressler helped spark a major reckoning with abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, died after years of illness.

Lyell remained a person of deep faith. A quote from the C.S. Lewis book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobeadorns a pair of paving stones in her front lawn. The quote explains how Aslan the lion, a Jesus-like figure in the book, had come back to life, in a story that parallels Easter.

“When a willing victim, who has committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead … the Table would crack and death itself would start working backwards.”

(RNS)—Walter Brueggemann, one of the most widely respected Bible scholars of the past century, died June 5 at his home in Michigan. He was 92.

The author of more than 100 books of theology and biblical criticism, Brueggemann was professor emeritus of Old Testament studies at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga., until his retirement in 2003.

His specialty was the Hebrew Bible and especially the Hebrew prophets, and his books were aimed primarily at clergy and church leaders. But through sermons, Brueggemann’s concepts have become familiar to many churchgoers.

Though ordained, Brueggemann never served as a pastor of his own church. He was, however, a much sought after and eloquent preacher and lecturer.

“He had an incredible way to discern what was happening in the world and the church and to speak into that with a much-needed word,” said Conrad L. Kanagy, professor emeritus at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, who wrote a biography of Brueggemann and edited some of his books.

‘Keep alive the ministry of imagination’

Brueggemann’s books were broadly influential, especially in mainline Protestant circles. His 1978 The Prophetic Imagination sold more than a million copies and remains a classic that is still frequently assigned in mainline seminaries.

In the book, he showed how the biblical prophets, called to imagine a different world, disrupted politics and the dominant culture and its assumptions.

Brueggemann himself was critical of American consumerism, militarism and nationalism.

“It is the vocation of the prophet to keep alive the ministry of imagination, to keep on conjuring and proposing future alternatives to the single one the king wants to urge as the only thinkable one,” he wrote.

Brueggemann was text-focused but resisted the dominant modes of biblical interpretation because they put distance between the reader and the text. He sought to help pastors hear God’s voice within the biblical text.

Brueggemann was born in Tilden, Neb., in 1933. His father, a pastor in the German Evangelical Synod of North America, ordained him. He and his brother, Ed, grew up in Blackburn, Mo.

As a teenager, Brueggemann and his brother visited a Black church on the edge of town. It later influenced his commitment to social justice.

His academic journey began at Elmhurst College (now University), in Elmhurst, Ill. He went on to study at Eden Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary. He received a Ph.D. in education from St. Louis University, while teaching at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He left Eden for Columbia Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian school, in 1986.

Brueggemann, however, remained an active minister in the United Church of Christ. He was a frequent speaker at its conferences as well as a mentor to countless church leaders.

He is survived by his wife, Tia, and by his sons James and John and their families.

Armando G. Virgen of Waco, a Texas Baptist pastor affectionately known as “Brother V”, died June 1. He was 99. He was born May 7, 1926, in Sonora to Teodoro and Natalia Virgen. After he graduated from Sonora High School, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Returning from his military service, he committed his life to Christ and was baptized. He graduated from Howard Payne College in May 1951 with a degree in secondary education and taught Spanish at California Baptist College following graduation. At a Billy Graham Crusade in 1954, he responded to God’s call to preach and enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While attending seminary, he was pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Cameron and later served as pastor of Iglesia Bautista Emanuel in Bay City and Bethel Baptist Church in Dallas. In 1962, he accepted the call to serve Primera Iglesia Bautista in Waco where he was pastor 53 years before retiring in 2015. He baptized more than 500 people during his 61 years as a pastor. In June 2016, the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas recognized him for 50 years of service. In September 2022, past members of Primera Iglesia Bautista recognized him as a “Legendary Pastor” for inspiring hundreds to know Jesus Christ as personal Savior and positively impacting lives. During the 2024 Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in Waco, he received the Gary Cook Servant Leader Award for more than 60 years of pastoral leadership. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lupe Virgen. He is survived by son Armando Virgen Jr. and his wife Ruth of Temple, daughter Cynthia Patena and her husband Luiz of Waco, daughter Debbie Shores and her husband Dexton of San Antonio, and son Reuben Virgen and his wife Rosemary of Bethany, Okla.; 12 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; and a sister, Dora Granado of Dallas. Family visitation will be at 7 p.m. on June 6 at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Waco. A celebration of life service will be at 10 a.m. on June 7, also at Primera Iglesia Bautista.

Sheryl Denise Shaw, longtime minister to children and their families, died May 12. She was 59. She was born May 21, 1965, in Rocky Mount, N.C., to Charles and Patricia Shaw. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C., where she majored in religious education and music. As a college student, she participated in a music group called “Witness” that sang in churches throughout North Carolina. Upon graduation from Campbell, she worked in Winston-Salem as a manager trainee for Zondervan Family Book Stores. She moved to Richardson after completing her training and managed the Family Book Store there. In 1993, she sensed God’s call to surrender to full time Christian service, and she enrolled in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. As a student, she managed the audio-visual center in the seminary library and served as preschool ministries assistant at First Baptist Church in Dallas. She graduated from Southwestern Seminary in 1997 with a master’s degree in religious education. She served 28 years ministering to children and their parents. In addition to Kingwood First Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Lewisville, she also served at First Baptist Church in Norfolk, Va.; Aversboro Road Baptist Church in Garner, N.C.; Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church and First Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C.; and Coastal Community Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C. She led many children to Christ, and her passion was discipleship. While serving in Norfolk, she was co-author of the book, I’m a Christian Now, which served as a catalyst for the Lifeway curriculum of the same name. She is survived by her parents, Charles and Patricia Shaw, and her brother Robert Shaw and his wife Jackie.

Pamela Eileen Payne of San Antonio, longtime educator, died May 15. She was 75. She was born Aug. 29, 1949, to Donald Walter and Donal Marie Peine in San Antonio. She graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 1967 and Texas A&I University Kingsville in 1972. At Texas A&I, she met Steve Payne. They married on Dec. 28, 1971. As an educator for 40 years, she dedicated her life as a teacher and administrator. She also was a wonderful hostess who loved to cook for her family and created a beautiful and comfortable home. She enjoyed traveling, including road trips around Texas, attending Broadway musicals and treasuring the small moments of life. Most of all, she treasured her husband, who served 15 years on the staff of San Antonio Baptist Association, and their four children. She was preceded in death by her brother Michael Peine. She is survived by her husband Steve; son Mark and his wife Amanda; son Adam and his wife Karla; son John; daughter Rebekah; and grandchildren Kenzie and Theodore. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on June 2 at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio.

Jimmie L Nelson, longtime Baptist pastor and seminary professor, died May 14. He was 97. He was born Feb. 11, 1928, in Wichita Falls to Izetta Mansfield and was adopted by Wallace and Nettie Nelson. He spent most of his childhood in Borger, where he graduated from high school and where he worked in the oil fields through his college years. He graduated from Borger High School in 1945 and from Baylor University in 1949. As a high school senior, he was called to the gospel ministry and enrolled at Baylor University. During college, he met Dolores Lee Cate, also from Borger, one weekend when he was visiting back home. They married June 25, 1950. During his time at Baylor, he served Lovelace Baptist Church in Hillsboro as pastor. After completing his undergraduate degree from Baylor in 1949, he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1952 and a Doctor of Theology degree in 1961. He was pastor at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Colonial Hill Baptist Church in Snyder and First Baptist Church in Deer Park. Returning to Southwestern Seminary, he served as the director of field education in the School of Theology, was associate dean for the Doctor of Ministry program, and was professor of preaching 27 years. He also continued to serve as interim pastor at various churches through his lifetime. During his time at the seminary, he served three year-long sabbatical stints as a pastor of European Baptist churches in The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. He also taught and preached in Japan, Trinidad, Brazil, the Ivory Coast and Romania. He also served as an adjunct professor at the Canadian Baptist Seminary in Calgary several semesters. The Nelsons were longtime members of First Baptist Church in Burleson, and he served the church as interim pastor twice. For many years, he led a men’s Bible study at the Petroleum Club in Fort Worth. He also loved his seminary friends who were part of a 42 club who met regularly to play dominoes and enjoy each other’s company. In his last years in Burleson, he became a part of a breakfast club that met every Monday morning in a local café. In 2022, he moved into a senior living community in Lubbock to be near his daughter and her family. In Lubbock, he continued to be involved with the local pastors group as well as First Baptist Church of Lubbock. When he was 91, he rode the zipline at Palo Duro Canyon, just so he could keep pace with his friend Bernie Wilson, originally of Snyder. He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Delores. He is survived by son Stephen Nelson and his wife Robin of Paonia, Colo.; son J. Alan Nelson and his wife Susan of Waco; daughter Julie Cate Nelson Couch and her husband Robert of Lubbock; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on June 1 at the Mountain Valley Funeral Home in Joshua. A funeral service is scheduled at 10 a.m. June 2 at First Baptist Church in Burleson.

James Edward Tye of Allen, longtime Baptist missionary to Ecuador, died May 16. He was 89. He was born Feb. 21, 1936, in Jones, Okla., to Robert Cook Tye and Sylvia Leticia Goodner Tye. He married Shirley Ann Bynum on Dec. 14, 1956, in Oklahoma City. The Tyes served 29 years in Ecuador as Southern Baptist missionaries, proclaiming the name of Jesus to the Ecuadorian people and Quichua people. Upon their retirement in 1999, they continued to serve in Love County, Okla., by assisting with the Hispanic community there, and serving on staff at Eastside Baptist Church in Marietta. He was a volunteer chaplain for the Love County Fire Department and sang and played in the orchestra for the Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma. He also was the owner of Tye Piano Service, tuning and repairing pianos across Southern Oklahoma and North Texas. After their move to Allen in 2020, the Tyes became members at Allen Heights Baptist Church, and they started a Bible study at Springwood. He was preceded in death by four sisters and a brother. He is survived by his beloved wife, Shirley Tye of Allen; daughter Jeana Dixon and her husband Clark of St. Charles, Mo.; son Mark Tye and his wife Shirley of Kingwood; son Scott Tye and his wife Kristi of Allen; son Tim Tye and his wife Kristi of Allen; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on May 23 at Allen Heights Baptist Church in Allen. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the International Mission Board at www.imb.org/generosity/give-now.