Obituary: Larry Hughes

Larry Vernon Hughes, who survived a life-threatening spinal cord injury sustained while he was serving as a Journeyman missionary in Africa 50 years ago, died April 18. He was 74.

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Larry Vernon Hughes, who survived a life-threatening spinal cord injury sustained while he was serving as a Journeyman missionary in Africa 50 years ago, died April 18. He was 74. He was born Nov. 9, 1946, to Paul and Genevieve Hughes and grew up in Tulsa, Okla. After completing his undergraduate degree at Oklahoma State University, he was appointed by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Foreign Mission Board as a Journeyman missionary to Malawi. In 1971, a diving accident in Malawi caused a severe spinal cord injury. Although  he was not expected to survive, after nine months of intense rehabilitation, he walked out of the hospital with only the aid of crutches. Throughout his life, he claimed as his testimony Philippians 4:3: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Hughes went on to earn a master’s degree in social work and begin a 39-year career at the Texas Rehabilitation Commission, where he served clients by helping them enter educational programs, secure handicap-accessible vans and improve their lives. He coached Little League and youth sports teams as a volunteer for many years. He served five decades as a deacon and Sunday school teacher, first at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas and then at South Garland Baptist Church in Garland. Even when he was confined to a wheelchair in recent years, he continued to serve on church committees, on the deacon council and in various ministries. He consistently reminded all the people he encountered, “Life has its peaks and valleys, but it’s beautiful and should be cherished.” He was preceded in death by his mother, Genevieve and two brothers, Robert and Gary. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Barbara; daughter Emily Caddell and her husband Sam; son Jonathan and his wife Charlotte; daughter Sarah Hubbard and her husband Brandon; five grandchildren; and his father, Paul.


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