• Rev. Dr. Philip B. Wahl, 103, of Duncan died Sept. 20, 2009.

Phil was born Aug. 17, 1906, in Oklahoma City. He married Thelma Lucille Elliott in 1944 at Lee’s Summit, Mo.

His career began in 1924 in Kansas, and his service in Oklahoma began in 1930. He also pastored in Missouri. He retired in 1973.

Beginning in 1968, he held pastoral roles at Duncan-First UMC for 40 years. In Oklahoma, he also served at Bennington, Dustin, Hastings, Carter, Berlin, Grove, Warner, Webber Falls, Tulsa-Glenwood, Tulsa-Rose Hill, Blackwell, Fairview, and Walters.

Phil Wahl received numerous high honors from groups in the Duncan community and beyond, especially for his advocacy work on issues of social justice.

Oklahoma City University awarded him an Honorary Doctorate. He received the UM Denman Award, for evangelism, and the Human Relations Award, from the Oklahoma Conference UM Commission on Religion and Race.

Survivors include daughter Geraldine Marie Davis, four grandsons, two great-granddaughters, and a great-great-granddaughter. He was predeceased by his wife and a son, John.

Memorial service was Sept. 28 at Duncan-First UMC.

• Rev. Homer M. Martin Jr., 89, of Bowie, Texas, died Sept. 19, 2009.

Homer was born June 29, 1920, in Rotan, Texas. He earned a degree at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and studied at Perkins School of Theology and Phillips University at Enid. He was an Army veteran.

He married Evelyn McCown on Nov. 30, 1946.

Rev. Martin’s ministry service began in 1950, and he officially retired in 1988. He was pastor at Hydro, Shawnee, Tulsa-First, Muskogee-Trinity, Sand Springs, Maysville, and Whitebead.

In Bowie, he was pastor at First Presbyterian Church for six years.

Survivors include his wife, in Bowie; daughters Janice Snow of Mesardis, Maine, and Sue Martin of Bowie; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was predeceased by a son, Michael.

Funeral was Sept. 23 at Bowie-First UMC, and burial was at Vashti Cemetery.

• Louise Shook Roberts, 85, died Sept. 24, 2009. She was the widow of Rev. Howard W. Roberts, who served Oklahoma churches for 40 years. He died in 2007.

Louise was born in Cogar. She was a middle-school teacher. In 1987, she was honored as the Oklahoma Mother of the Year.

She was a member of United Methodist Women for more than 60 years.

Survivors include daughters Kyle Dahlem, Kaye Roberts, and Laura Harmon; sons Darryl Roberts and Sam Roberts; nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Memorial service was Sept. 29 at OKC-Southern Hills UMC.

• Former Oklahoma Gov. Henry Bellmon, 88, died at Enid on Sept. 29, 2009. He was the father of Pat Hoerth, a UM deaconess who is the spiritual director at Turtle Rock Farm.
• Branson McElroy, 79, of Warner died Sept. 11, 2009. He was the father of Rev. Tom McElroy, associate pastor at Tulsa-First UMC.

Birth

Ruth Ann Dennison was born Sept. 17, 2009. She is the daughter of Mindy and Rev. Daniel Dennison, who is the campus minister for the Wesley Foundation at the University of Oklahoma.