Passages

Dr. James Buskirk, retired pastor and founding dean of the Oral Roberts University School of Theology, died on Sept. 9. He served three churches in the Oklahoma Conference between 1967 and 2009. A service was held on Sept. 29 at Tulsa-First.

Rev. Roland Humphrey passed away on Aug. 29. He served in both the Oklahoma Conference and the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. A private service was held, and he was laid to rest near his family in Muskogee.

Rev. James Wheeler passed away on Aug. 10. He served 10 churches in the Oklahoma Conference from 1954 until his retirement in 1981. A service of celebration and remembrance will be held at a later date.

Jerry Abbott, a retired pastor, died on Sept. 1. He was 76. He served churches in the Oklahoma Conference between 1993 and 2006, including Mounds, Turley, Beggs, Cleveland and Ketchum.

Local pastor Denis Dieker passed away on Sept. 21. He served several between 1974 and 1996, including Caddo/Kennefic, Lone Wolf, Cleveland/Blackburn, Wynnewood First, Leedy, Braman, Forgan and Yale.