Obituary: Robert O. Feather

Robert O. Feather, Texas Baptist minister and denominational leader, died Dec. 14. He was 93.

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Robert O. Feather, Texas Baptist minister and denominational leader, died Dec. 14. He was 93. Born June 30, 1928, in Shawnee, Okla., Bob Feather was the eldest son of Othal and Rhette Feather. Bob spent his early years in Austin and graduated from the Greenwood High School in Springfield, Mo., where he played football, ran track and was a state champion hurdler. In 1946, he moved to Waco to attend Baylor University, where he was a member of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce and twice elected a Baylor yell leader. He also served as music director in Youth Led Revivals in 1947. After graduating from Baylor in 1950, he went on to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Religious Education degree in 1953 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. During the summer of 1951, he met Carolyn Grigsby at the Ridgecrest Baptist Encampment in North Carolina. For the next 68 years, their lives were devotedly intertwined through their church, alma mater and the everyday busy life of raising two children. In 1953, his first church assignment took him to Bowling Green, Ky., where he served as the minister of education. His ministry then brought him to Dallas, where he served at Wilshire Baptist Church from 1956 to 1964 and as associate pastor for administration and education at Park Cities Baptist Church from 1964 to 1978. He left Dallas in 1978 to work within the leadership of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as executive vice president of the World Evangelism & Christian Education Fund. He considered the years spent working alongside Billy Graham some of the most rewarding of his life. In late 1980, his alma mater Baylor University invited him to serve as vice president for external affairs. While at Baylor, he was responsible for the university’s financial development, charitable gifts and future endowments. During his 19-year tenure at Baylor, the university’s endowment quadrupled. After retiring from Baylor, he served as vice president of the Texas Baptist Laity Institute and as a consultant for the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation for innovative partnerships with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Some of the many awards and honors he received included the Baylor University W. R. White Meritorious Service Award, Baylor University Herbert H. Reynolds Award, Baylor University Retired Administrator Award, Texas Baptist Legacy Award, Baptist Association of Christian Educators Distinguished Leadership Award, an honorary doctorate degree from William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Miss., and most recently, the Pioneer Award from the Texas Baptist Missions Foundation.  Some of the leadership roles he filled through the years included service as president of the Religious Education and Music Conference of Dallas Baptist Association, the board of the Dallas Baylor Club, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Religious Education Association, trustee of the San Marcos Baptist Academy and president of the National Alumni Association of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was a faithful member of the Baylor University Old Main Society, Baylor University Endowed Scholarships Society, Baylor University Athletic Director Hall of Honor and the Boone Powell Senior Society of the Baylor Scott & White Health Care System. He and his wife Carolyn enjoyed traveling to more than 35 countries.  He was a 32nd-degree Scottish Rite Mason, Sharon Shrine Temple and member of Rotary Club International  He was also a proud member of the Bob Glaze Men’s Sunday School Class and Park Cities Baptist Church for 39 years. As a lifetime season ticket holder at Baylor University, he rarely missed a Baylor football game in 75 years. He enjoyed water skiing and snow skiing with all of his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife Carolyn; son Bobby Feather and his wife Lisa of Fort Worth; daughter Sunni Brookshire and her husband Britt of Dallas; six grandchildren and six great-grandsons; and a brother, Col. George Feather of Boerne. A memorial service will be held at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas on Monday, Dec. 20, at 2 p.m. with a family reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family suggest contributions to the Baylor Line Foundation of Waco, the Cook Children’s Medical Center of Fort Worth or Park Cities Baptist Church.

 


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