7-12-10 Wilson M. Newcomb (MA '79)
Pastor Newcomb went home to be with the Lord on February 22, 2010. He pastored churches in Minnesota, Montana and Washington. He also taught at two Bible Colleges during his many years of ministry. He retired from teaching in May 2009 due to declining health.
3-26-10 Zewar "Z" Jeremy Ali Dib, 28, died suddenly on Friday (March 19, 2010) in Delaware, OH.
He was born on Nov. 11, 1981 in Jackson, Mich., and lived most of his life in Central Ohio. He worked as a plumber for Del-OPlumbing and loved the outdoors, fishing, boating and camping. He enjoyed being a soccer referee with his dad.
He is survived by his parents, Zuheir and Nancy (Stanley, '71) Ali Dib of Delaware; his brother, Zaher; two sisters, Amena and Lena; his maternal grandmother, Eileen Stanley; and aunts, uncles and cousins from Michigan and Texas. He is also survived by his longtime friend Jennifer B. and many other close friends.
The family will observe calling hours from 11:45 to 1:45 p.m. Thursday, March 25, at the Rutherford Funeral Home at 2383 N. High St., Columbus. Anyone with a special memory of Z will be welcome to share it near the close of that time. It will be followed by interment at Fairview Memorial Park, Lewis Center.
3-2-2010 Donald G Lund ('82) went home to be with His Savior yesterday morning (3-1-10). The Lord took Him very kindly with no pain. Please be praying for the Lund family during this time.
The funeral service will be held Friday, March 5th at Northside Baptist Church in Carrollton, TX.
1-11-2010 Dr. Wesley Potter ('71), went home to be with the Lord on January 10, 2010. He was a millionaire.
Born on October 25, 1923, he was the oldest of four children who learned the value of commitment and hard work on a farm in western New York. At the persistent invitation of the local grocer, Wesley and his family attended a church service where he heard the truth of the gospel when he was ten years old. Believing that Christ, alone, bore all sin in His body on the Cross, that He rose from the dead three days later, and that He now sits in Heaven interceding for His own—Wesley placed his faith in an all-sufficient Savior.
Wesley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Houghton College and a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he was taught to passionately preach the truth that had changed his life. He was later honored with a Doctor of Divinity degree from Maranatha Baptist Bible College—a school that was close to his heart.
God used Wesley during his eighty-six years on earth to serve as a pastor in many churches throughout Illinois. Wesley was an assistant pastor at First Baptist Church of Danville. He began Fowler Avenue Baptist Church. He pastored Bethel Baptist of Georgetown, East Park Baptist of Decatur, First Baptist of Palos Hills, Calvary Baptist of Chilocothe, and he helped plant Maranatha Baptist in Vernon Hills. He took short-term missions trips, directed summer camps, preached weddings and funerals, made thousands of hospital calls and home visits, and filled the pulpit for hundreds of pastors around the country.
Apart from his salvation, Wesley considered his family to be his greatest joy. He married Cecile Pennington on April 14, 1962, and together they raised three children who followed their father into full-time Christian work.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Vernon and Leora, his first wife, Medora (Whitlock), his son, Vernon, and his brother, Leneal.
He is survived by his wife of forty-seven years, Cecile of Flint, Michigan, his children, David and Jean (Foster) of Pecs, Hungary, Grace and Don (Albright) of Flint, Michigan, and Faith and Randy (White) of Allen Park, Michigan. He leaves behind 14 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren whose desire it is to serve the Lord.
As Wesley so often said, he was a millionaire, but not because of any money in his pockets. He was wealthy because of God’s rich blessing in his life.
Visitation will be Thursday, January 14, 2010 from 2-5 p.m. at Maranatha Baptist Church, 3408 Miller Rd., Flint. Funeral to follow at 7 p.m.. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to the Nehemiah Fund at Maranatha Baptist Church. There will also be services and interment on Saturday in Allegany, N.Y. Tributes and condolences may be shared at the obituaries page at sharpfuneralhomes.com.
1-5-2010 Mrs. Beulah Myers, 94, of Virginia Beach, VA went home to be with the Lord on January 1, 2010. She was the mother of one of Maranatha’s first faculty/staff members, Mrs. Sherrill Fulayter who taught Spanish and served as the dietician from 1968 until 1984.
Mrs. Myers and her husband (Mike) are mentioned on page 42 in the Rich In Mercy book which details 40 years of Maranatha’s history (1968-2008). Before classes started in the summer of 1968, the Myers came to Watertown to help the Fulaters get settled and also volunteered to check out the plumbing and heating system in Old Main. Mr. Myers was a steam engineer at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Mrs. Myers grew up at the Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota where her father was the lighthouse keeper. Click here to read Beulah’s complete obituary.