John Earl Seelig, who served three decades as vice president for public affairs at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, died on Jan. 17. He was 94. Seelig was born on Dec. 11, 1924, in Fredericksburg. He received his undergraduate degree at Hardin-Simmons University and earned his master’s degree in religious education at Southwestern Seminary. Seelig married Virginia Garrett in 1947. Also a Southwestern graduate, she joined the faculty of the School of Church Music in 1958 and taught voice for 27 years. Seelig, meanwhile, served in local churches and was involved in denominational work until he was hired by then-president Robert Naylor as the seminary’s vice president for public affairs in 1960. Following his retirement, Seelig and his wife spent a year in Hawaii serving the Hawaii Baptist Convention. After their return to Texas, the couple became active members of Southcliff Baptist Church, teaching the early-bird senior adult Sunday School class for 30 years. Southwestern Seminary’s board of trustees named a room in the Robert E. Naylor Student Center the John and Virginia Seelig Banquet Room in honor of their decades of service. In 2008, the seminary also honored the Seeligs by giving them the L.R. Scarborough award. Seelig was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 64 years, Virginia, and their son Stephen. He is survived by one son, Timothy; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Jack G. Conley, retired pastor and missionary, died Jan. 27 in Tyler. He was 90. Conley was born May 14, 1928, in Merkel. He served in the U.S. Air Force in World War II. He is survived by his wife of almost 66 years, Sally Conley of Hideaway; daughters, Elizabeth Strong of Temple, Carolyn McFarlin of Lindale and Marilyn McKain of Hideaway; sister, Beatrice Gullet of Lafayette, La.; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

Herschel Vincent Forester, former professional football player and Baptist layman who supported numerous Christian causes, died Dec. 31 in Dallas. He was 87. Forester was born April 14, 1931, in Dallas. He served in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Southern Methodist University in 1951. After his military service, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, where he played four seasons as an offensive lineman and was part of two NFL championship teams. In 1956, he met Sally Rogers. They married two years later and enjoyed more than 50 years together. During his career, he worked as an insurance salesman, real estate developer and in the billboard advertising business. He was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Dallas and supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Dallas Baptist University, the Dallas Life Foundation and other causes. He served on the board of Texans Against Gambling. He was preceded in death by his wife and a brother, Bill Forester. He is survived by his son Herschel Forester Jr. and daughter-in-law Cindy; his daughter Suzanne Clarke and son-in-law Steve; and six grandchildren.

Robert G. Packard, longtime professor of physics at Baylor University who was dubbed “Waco’s Mr. Wizard” by one newspaper, died Jan. 5 in Waco. He was 94. He was born in Regina, N.M., but moved to Temple with his family when he was 2 years old. After he graduated from Temple High School in 1943, Packard enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Combat Engineers and Army Specialized Training Program before his assignment in the Signal Corps in the World War II Pacific Theater of Operations in 1944. During the war, he was stationed at Diamond Head listening station in the Hawaii Islands. He served a stint in Kyoto, Japan, following the war before returning to the United States and enrolling at the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his undergraduate degree, master’s degree and doctorate in physics. He spent several years during the early Cold War working on high-level national security and defense research at UT and teaching undergraduate courses in physics there. In September 1952, he received an invitation to teach physics at Baylor University, where he met and married Joyce Hornaday, the university’s assistant dean of women at Baylor. Packard taught nearly six decades at Baylor, where he was renowned for his popular “Packard Physics” class—an auditorium-style introductory course for non-science majors taken by nearly a quarter of Baylor alumni, according to some estimates. He served as a lecturer and visiting professor at numerous institutions. He also hosted a Waco television show called “Atomic Age Physics,” sponsored a televised academic challenge program and, at the request of the late Baylor President Abner McCall, taught in the late 1950s and the late 1960s at Paul Quinn College, when the campus was located in Waco. From 1960 to 1962, he taught physics in Indonesia with a medical team from the University of California and led a Sunday school class at a local Baptist mission. In 1990, he was designated as a Master Teacher, the highest honor granted to Baylor faculty members for sustained excellence in teaching. That same year, his longtime classroom in the Marrs McLean Building was renovated and renamed the Robert G. Packard Lecture Hall in his honor. In 2000, he received the W.R. White Meritorious Award for service to Baylor. He also received the Collins Outstanding Professor Award in 2001 and the Baylor Legacy Mentor Award in 2014, among other honors. He was a founding sponsor of the Baylor chapter for Habitat for Humanity, and he taught Sunday school classes at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church for decades. He is survived by his wife of more than 60 years; three brothers—Charles, Wayne and I.B. Packard; and numerous nieces and nephews.

William B. Tolar of Fort Worth, longtime professor of biblical backgrounds and archaeology, died Dec. 29. He was 90. Tolar was born July 5, 1928, in Jonesboro, La., to Peter Dane and Lora Stewart Tolar. At age 13, he began reading the Bible after a teacher told him it was the best-selling book in history, but 99 percent of the people in the world never had read it in its entirety. The experience changed his life. He made a profession of faith in Christ on Easter Sunday 1942, and one year later, he accepted God’s calling to vocational Christian ministry. After ranking highly in an academic competition and being named Louisiana’s top high school running back, Louisiana State University offered Tolar a full scholarship, but he wanted to prepare for the ministry at a Baptist school. He earned undergraduate and master’s degrees at Baylor University. He continued his education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned Master of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees. Tolar taught 10 years in the religion department at Baylor University and 38 years at Southwestern Seminary, where he also served as dean of the School of Theology, vice president for academic affairs, provost and acting president. He also taught as an adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University and as a distinguished fellow at the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute. He lectured in 53 countries on five continents, led more than 80 trips to the Holy Land, and was interim pastor of more than 50 churches. He was a member of Agape Baptist Church in Fort Worth. He is survived by his wife Floye Kimball Tolar of Fort Worth; son William and daughter-in-law Laura Tolar of Hurst; daughter Lora Mae and son-in-law Brian O’Riordan of Chicago; and two grandchildren.

Louise Herrington Ornelas, major benefactor to the nursing school at Baylor University that bears her name, died Dec. 18 in Tyler. She was 93. She was born June 15, 1925, in Las Cruces, N.M., as the second of seven children to Bill and Minnie Herrington but grew up in East Texas. She dreamed of becoming a nurse, but family responsibilities kept her from realizing that ambition. Although she never became a practicing nurse, she volunteered as a Pink Lady for 30 years in Tyler hospitals. In fall 1999, she made a $13 million endowment gift to the Baylor School of Nursing, at the time the third-largest gift from an individual in the university’s history. In recognition of her long and generous support of the nursing program, the school was named the Louise Herrington School of Nursing. In April 2015, another lead gift by Ornelas made possible the purchase of the Baptist General Convention of Texas building in Dallas for use as the nursing school’s new academic home. Ornelas received multiple honors from Baylor University, including the 2015 Founder’s Medal, the Huckins Medallion and the Herbert H. Reynolds Exemplary Service Award. She was recognized as an Alumna Honoris Causa in 1992 and received an honorary Baylor nursing degree in 2000. Ornelas also supported nursing education at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, which awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree, and the University of Texas-Tyler. She received the Horatio Alger Award in 1996 and was named Volunteer of the Year in Tyler in 1989. She and her second husband, Robert M. Rogers, were co-founders of TCA Cable TV Inc. She was a member of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler for 55 years. She was preceded in death by brothers Al and Charles Herrington, sisters Jean Lancaster and Ellen Thurman, son Robby Rogers and her first husband, Martin Eugene Pettis. Ornelas is survived by her husband of 26 years, Joseph Z. Ornelas; sister Ann Kimrey of Tyler; brother Billy Creel Herrington and wife Peggy of Tyler; sons Rick Rogers and wife Mary Jane of Simsboro, La.; Randy Rogers and wife Brenda of Bryan; Russell Rogers and wife Esther of Springdale, Ark.; daughters Becky Wangner and husband Rob of Brentwood, Tenn., Sheryl Palmer of Tyler, Cindy Scott of Chandler, Rita Seldenrust and husband John, and Andrea Wegener and husband Dave; 20 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

David D. Muñoz, longtime Texas Baptist pastor, died Nov. 28 in San Antonio after a battle with cancer. He was 76. Muñoz was born Oct. 28, 1942, in Tampico, Tamaulipas, México, to Mateo Tomas Muñoz and Rosa Esperanza Cortez de Muñoz. He received his theological training at Seminario Bautista de México. Muñoz was pastor of multiple churches throughout South and Central Texas, and he trained other ministers as a teacher and mentor through the Baptist Bible Institutes of Baptist University of the Américas. His passion for missions led him to travel internationally spreading the gospel. He and his wife Aurora established Pinn Oaks International Ministries to support three homes for vulnerable children in India and to equip Christians in South Asia for ministry. He was preceded in death by two sisters, Sara Muñoz de Almazan and Rosa Lila Muñoz de Vera. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Aurora; daughter Sara Alegría Rangel and her husband Joe Rangel; daughter Hosanna Betel Muñoz-Kim and husband Joo-Young Kim; six grandchildren; brother Mateo Muñoz Cortez; and sisters Noemi Muñoz Cortez and Rebecca Ester Muñoz de Maldonado.

Rita Purdy of Woodway, professor emerita of family and consumer sciences at Baylor University, died Nov. 24. She was 77. She was born April 18, 1941, in Richlands, Va., to Nettie and Henry Sutherland of Clintwood, Va. She earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech, where she met her husband of 54 years, Jim. She went on to receive her master’s degree from the University of Tennessee before returning to Virginia Tech to complete her doctorate. Purdy was a professor and served as dean of undergraduate programs for the College of Human Resources at Virginia Tech. In 1996, she joined the Baylor faculty as chair of family and consumer sciences. She loved to teach and earned numerous teaching excellence awards at both universities where she served. In 1999, she was named Texas leader of the year in Family and Consumer Sciences. Purdy was a member of Seventh and James Baptist Church, belonged to the Baylor Senior Adult Choir and worked with various other charities and civic organizations. She is survived by her husband, Jim; son Jay of Blacksburg, Va.; son David and daughter-in-law of Centreville, Va.; son Jonathan of Charlotte, N.C.; and two grandsons.

Robert G. Collmer of Waco, a missionary kid who became distinguished professor emeritus of English at Baylor University, died Nov. 21. He was 91. Collmer was born Nov. 28, 1926, in Guatemala City to G. Russell and Constance C. Collmer. At his birth, a physician warned his parents he never would be physically or mentally strong, but he grew to be a 6-foot-2-inch tall accomplished academician. He spent his early childhood in Zacapa, Guatemala, where his parents were Baptist missionaries, and for decades continued to visit and support the churches his parents established in central Guatemala. His family moved to Philadelphia when he was young before relocating to Laredo, where he graduated from Martin High School. In 1945, he was inducted into the U.S. Army while a student at Howard Payne College. After his discharge, he enrolled at Baylor University in 1947, where he met Linnie Maffett Burney. They married on her 21st birthday. They were married 31 years, before she died in 1979. In her memory, he gave the lead gift that led to establishing the Linnie B. Collmer Seminar Room at Baylor and set up an endowment for its furnishing. Collmer earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Baylor and his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He served as professor, chair of the English department and director of graduate studies at Texas Tech University before joining the Baylor faculty in 1973. During his 24 years at Baylor, he served six years as head of the English department and 13 years as dean of the Baylor Graduate School. While he was dean, he  continued to teach in the English department, where he met nurse and U.S. Army veteran Alys Edney, who he accompanied to a ballet in Dallas. They married in 1981. Collmer wrote hundreds of scholarly articles across many academic disciplines and edited multiple volumes. At Baylor, he helped establish the House of Poetry, the Beall Poetry Festival and the Beall-Russell Lecture Series. He taught a semester at the University of Jordan in Amman. Collmer, an ordained minister, taught a men’s Sunday school class at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco for many years. He is survived by his wife, Alys Edney Collmer; daughter Carol C. and husband, Donald W. McLaren, of Pinon, Ariz.; son Mark W. Collmer of Houston; and four grandchildren. His son established the Robert G. Collmer Family Archival Research Endowed Fund at Baylor in his memory.

Joe Gerault, who served more than 18 years in a variety of ministerial roles at Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, died Nov. 5 after a lengthy battle with Ataxia. He was 63. Gerault graduated from Howard Payne University in Brownwood in 1977. He went on to attend several institutions of higher learning, where he earned a specialist’s certification in gerontology, a master’s degree in religious education and a doctorate in educational ministries. Prior to arriving in the Rio Grande Valley in 1993, he served on the staff of churches in St. Louis, Mo., Hillsboro and Fort Worth. In his varied positions at Calvary Baptist Church, he organized and oversaw the Sunday school, provided direction to the remodeling of the church facility, served as consultant and church representative on the construction of two buildings, and provided pastoral care and senior adult ministry. In addition to his church staff duties, he found time to be a writer, teacher, occasional preacher and a professor on several continents. He also served in leadership positions in several professional, public and denominational organizations. He was preceded in death by a sister, Donna Treonne Gerault Odom Wick. He is survived by his wife of more than 42 years, Janet Kay Calhoun Gerault; his sister Andrea Louise Peterson and her husband Wes of Lincoln, Neb.; his sister Katie Nealeigh of Terrell; and numerous nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and three great-great nieces.

Kurt Kaiser of Waco, Christian composer and pianist, died Nov. 12 after a lengthy illness. He was 83. Kaiser was born Dec. 17, 1934, in Chicago. He held degrees from the American Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University. He and his wife Pat and their family moved to Waco in 1959. They were longtime members of Seventh & James Baptist Church before they helped to start Dayspring Baptist Church in Waco. Kaiser was instrumental in the launch and growth of Word Music, where he was vice president and director of music. He composed more than 300 songs, including “Pass It On” and “Oh How He Loves You and Me.” He and Ralph Carmichael pioneered Christian youth musicals such as “Tell It Like It Is” and “Natural High” in the 1960s and 1970s. He was soloist George Beverly Shea’s accompanist at Billy Graham Evangelistic Association crusades. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and was elected to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He was a longtime supporter of Baylor University, which all four of his children attended, and the university awarded him its Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service in 2017. He is survived by his wife Pat; four children and their spouses, Kris Kaiser Olson and Charles Olson of Waco, Kelli and Kent Kaiser of Sugar Land, Janet and Craig Kaiser of Houston, and Gail and Tim Kaiser of Coppell; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one sister, Sigrid Schultz; and three brothers, Helmuth Kaiser, Martin Kaiser and Gerhard Kaiser.

R.L. Herring of San Antonio, retired Texas Baptist pastor, military chaplain and administrator for Buckner Baptist Retirement Village, died Aug. 25. He was 97. Herring was born Aug. 18, 1921, in rural Mississippi to Robert Lee Herring and Carrie Carr Herring. His family moved to Southeast Texas when he was young, and he graduated from Port Neches High School. At Clark College in Newton, Miss., he earned an associate’s degree and met his future wife, Mary Underwood. After they married, the Herrings moved to Texas. He earned an undergraduate degree from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene and a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Herring, who was ordained in 1940, served six churches as a student pastor. In 1949, he became the first pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Bryan. He later served at Fredonia Hill Baptist Church in Nacogdoches and Lakewood Baptist Church in Dallas. In 1965, he began 20 years of service as administrator for Buckner Baptist Retirement Village in Dallas. He served from 1950 to 1979 as a chaplain in the National Guard. He was state chaplain at the National Guard headquarters in Austin and was involved in building All Faiths Chapel at Camp Mabry in Austin. He received the Minute Man Award from the National Guard Association of Texas in 1996. His denominational service included time as a trustee at Wayland Baptist University and as an emeritus member of the executive board of Hardin-Simmons University, where he was named a distinguished alumnus in 2006. He was a charter member of Woodland Baptist Church in San Antonio and later was an active member of First Baptist Church in San Antonio. Herring was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Mary, and his sister, Dorothy Mildred Bates. He is survived by his daughter, Cindy Ann Muir, and her husband Donald of San Antonio, and one granddaughter.