Roy Dean Verner

Roy Dean Verner was born October 22, 1929 in Greenville, Texas to the late Bill and Grace Verner. Roy passed from this life to an eternal one on Saturday afternoon May 15, 2021.

Roy grew up in Commerce and Mt. Pleasant, TX., in a large family with six children. He attended high school at Mt. Pleasant and played football and boxed. After high school, Roy worked as a steel construction laborer on projects all over west Texas where he met his future wife, Wanda Faye Crisp in Plainview, TX as she was working for his uncle, Dean Brookshire as a church secretary. They married on April 21, 1951 in Plainview.

Almost immediately after getting married, Roy began his service in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Goose Bay Labrador and later in Las Vegas, Nevada - during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant on November 14th, 1954.

Upon discharge from the military, and now with a life dream to become a minister, Roy and Wanda spent the next 4 years in college, first at Freed Hardeman College in Henderson Tennessee for two years, and then completing his degree in Bible and Ministry at Abilene Christian College. Roy served as a minister to eight churches over several decades in West Texas, New Mexico, Houston, and Shreveport. Roy left the ministry to work for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) for the last 10 years of his career working in corporate training. He retired from EDS at 65 and moved to Holly Lake Ranch where he once again began a role in ministry, preaching for the Holly Lake Church of Christ for several years until health issues required a move to Tyler and later to Waxahachie, Texas.

Roy passionately enjoyed his family, ministry, friends, and golf. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Lanny, and his wife of 69 years, Wanda.

Roy is survived by his sister Melba Rizzo and her family, sister Sue van Huss and her family, sister Diane Fielder and her family, and brother Lamond Verner and his family.

He is also survived by three sons, Kyle Verner and his wife Pam Verner, Mike Verner and his wife Ann Verner, and Ron Verner and his wife Lou Verner.

He is also survived by five grandchildren and their spouses - Jennifer Wright and her husband Jacob, Cary Verner and his wife Kinsey, Terry Verner and his wife Kinsey, Lindy Wilhite and her husband Will, and Chris Verner and his wife Jala. He is survived by 9 great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by the children of his daughter in law, Lou – Cailee Ellis and her husband Sam and their children, Cassie Henley and her husband Austin and their children, Cortni Henke and her husband Adam and their children, and Chelsea Jacobs and her husband, Mark and their children.

For any who may wish to honor Roy’s life with a memorial gift, Freed Hardeman University set up a fund in 2012 (with donations provided by friends and family and the Church of Christ at Holly Lake) to honor Roy and Wanda’s life in ministry – the Roy and Wanda Verner Preacher Training Scholarship Fund. Attention Milton Sewell at FHU – 158 E Main Street, Henderson, Tennessee. This fund has provided scholarships for several thousand dollars per year for seven students (some for multiple years) since 2012.