Obituary: Michael Joseph Estep

Michael Joseph Estep, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Marlin, died July 21 after a battle with cancer. He was 65.

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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.

 


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