Xv. Memorials in Memoriam

NORTH TEXAS CONFERENCE JOURNAL — 2019 437 XV. MEMORIALS IN MEMORIAM BISHOP WILLIAM B. ODEN MINISTERS JOHN HANS BRAND WILLIAM L. CHILDERS JOHNNIE W. HANEY DAVID THOMAS HOWETH VICTORIA DAVIDSON PAUL ROBERT A. SIMPSON PAGE ALLISON THOMAS JOE LYNN VOWELL R. BRUCE WEAVER JAMES RICHARD “DICK” WILSON LOCAL PASTORS CHARLES HAHN JOYCE POLK LLOYD JIMMY “JIM” LEE MCINTIRE MINISTERS’ SPOUSES IMOGENE ARNOLD ROSE MARIE BENTON MAMIE L. “TOMMIE” CHILDERS DEBORAH ANN “DEBBY” CROUCH MILDRED ELAINE GRAHAM JOHN C. LEE JOYCE ELAINE GRAY PRICE ALYCE BLAIR STEPHENSON JUDITH “JUDY” EILEEN TYSON GLENDA JO VOWELL VIOLET JUANITA WILSON 438 NORTH TEXAS CONFERENCE JOURNAL — 2019 BISHOP WILLIAM B. ODEN Bishop William B. Oden, 83, passed away Saturday, December 22, 2018, in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Bishop Oden served as bishop of the Dallas Area from 1996 until his retirement in 2004. He was born August 3, 1935, in McAllen, Texas, and earned degrees from Oklahoma State University (B.A.), Harvard University (M.Div.), and Boston University (Th. D.). He served as a United Methodist pastor in Oklahoma from 1963-88, and was a delegate to four General Conferences and six Jurisdictional Conferences. He was speaker for numerous conferences and lectureships, and served as trustee for Southern Methodist University, Southwestern University, Dillard University, Centenary College, and Africa University in Zimbabwe, as well as Methodist Hospital of Dallas and Pendleton Memorial Hospital of New Orleans. Bishop Oden was elected to the episcopacy in 1988. He served the Louisiana Area from 1988-96 prior to being assigned to the Dallas area. He served as president of the Council of Bishops in 2000-01, Ecumenical Officer 2004-08, and Bishop-in-Residence at Perkins School of Theology, SMU from 2004-08. He held numerous leadership positions including president of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and of the United Methodist Commission on Communication. He served on the Executive Committee of the World Methodist Council, co-chaired the International Methodist/Anglican Dialogue and chaired the Ecumenical Peace Delegation to Israel/Palestine. Bishop Oden received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Oklahoma State University, the Outstanding Alumni Award from Harvard Divinity School and several honorary doctorates. He is the author of six books. Bishop Oden loved spending time in the summers with his family at a cabin in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Brown Oden; four children (Danna Lee, Dirk, Valerie, and Bryant); and four grandchildren (Chelsea, Sarah, Nathan, and Graham). JOHN HANS BRAND Dr. John H. Brand was born in Vienna, Austria, on May 1, 1923, the son of Leopold and Margarit Brand. He passed away on June 28, 2018, in Austin, Texas, at the age of 95. Like all human beings, he knew successes and failures, joys and sorrows, laughter and tears. Dr. Brand loved his family. His devoted and faithful wife Martha Rutland Brand preceded him in death as did his wife Ruby Riewe Brand. He is survived by his children, born to Martha, James Rutland Brand, M.D., Deborah Brand Fainstein, R.N., M.S., David Blake Brand, B.B.A., B.S, and B.A.T., and his grandchildren Sarah, Lila, Christopher, and Isabella Brand as well as Ben and Karen Fainstein. He is also survived by his son-in- law Victor Fainstein, M.D., and daughter-in-law Irma Brand, N.P., R.N. While all of his children and grandchildren have attained high achievements he is more proud of the fact that they all grew into caring and sensitive human beings. Dr. Brand was responsible for three major accomplishments while serving as a minister of the North Texas Conference. He organized the CONTACT ministry which helped thousands of people throughout the years. He was responsible for the foundation of the Protho Center at Lake Texoma by securing the 99 year lease for the property in the 1950’s. He also organized the Social Service Center at Munger Place United Methodist Church. Each of these small beginnings grew into substantial organizations. NORTH TEXAS CONFERENCE JOURNAL — 2019 439 Dr. Brand’s ashes were laid to rest next to Martha’s in the Boggy Creek Masonic Cemetery in Austin, Texas. Dr. Brand wrestled with the problem of human bestial behavior constantly resulting in wars, revolutions, murders, white-collar crimes, and the myriads of other misdeeds and offenses. He finally found the answers in the book The Human Triune Brain in Evolution by Paul MacLean, M.D. With Dr. MacLean’s approval, Dr. Brand wrote the volume Grand Design. Interestingly enough, Mahlon Hoaglon, M.D., Professor of Biochemistry at Harvard Medical School read John’s book and made the following comments. “I have read your book at one sitting and agree with everything you said. I hope you will have a wide readership but you won’t.” A few months later Dr. Brand wrote him a letter, after previously thanking him for his comments, saying that Dr. Hoagland is not only an outstanding scientist but also a prophet. Dr. Brand’s mantra was When we learn to laugh at our ignorance, then by chance, in that laughter we might learn to love and accept each other. WILLIAM L. CHILDERS William Leonard Childers was born February 23, 1931, in Anniston, Alabama, and passed away July 22, 2018, at the age of 87 in Dallas, Texas. Rev. Childers served for twenty-one years as a Navy LCDR/Chaplain and three years as a Marine Staff Sargeant. He also served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He was also the driving force behind the chapel that was erected on the Edson range, which was part of Camp Pendleton. Later the military brought Rev. Childers back for a celebration of his contribution and work to bring the construction of that chapel to fruition. Following his military service, Rev. Childers was appointed to First UMC Dallas as an associate pastor. Among his many duties was assisting with the food pantry. Not only did he run the food pantry, he led Saturday worship with the homeless. He would carry a roll of silver or gold dollars and engage one of the men or women in conversation and then give them one or more of those coin dollars. The Saturday worship services with the homeless were full of music and conversation and very little preaching. Being a Marine chaplain who was sent literally all over the world, Rev. Childers was gone for long periods of time. When he was home, he was emotionally present for his children. If one of the children showed an interest in art, sculpting or painting, Rev. Childers bought the supplies. All of his children remember when he was stationed at Camp Pendleton, and Camp Pendleton is huge. At the time, the kids liked to bowl. Even though, it was 26 miles one-way to the bowling lanes, their father would drive them there. Rev. Childers was also a poet – a prolific poet. He loved to write poetry and he loved to put it to music. He was a thinker, philosopher, theologian, and even though rather stoic, and therefore may not have been readily apparent, he was a lover of people – all people. Survivors include his four children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. 440 NORTH TEXAS CONFERENCE JOURNAL — 2019 JOHNNIE W. HANEY Johnnie W. Haney, 92, of Wichita Falls, Texas, passed away on Thursday, January 17, 2019, in Wichita Falls. He was born on October 12, 1926, in Clay County, Texas, to the late Owen Jefferson Haney and Jewel Beatrice Parker Haney. On September 27, 1947, he married Betty Ann Wright in Byers, Texas. Rev. Haney was a retired salesman for Bethlehem Supply of North Texas and a retired minister with the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. While an active minister, he served for 25 years throughout the conference, retiring from Electra. He was a member of the Wichita Falls Masonic Lodge #635 and was a Shriner at the Maskat Temple. He is survived by his wife, Betty Haney of Wichita Falls; two children, three grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. DAVID THOMAS HOWETH Rev. Dr. David Thomas Howeth died in his home in Wylie, Texas, on December 24, 2018, at the age of 68. David was born on November 12, 1950, in Gainesville, Texas, to Donald Marshall Howeth and Bennie Jo (Turner) Howeth. He was raised in Gainesville and Orange County, California, graduating from Gainesville High School in 1968. After high school, Dr. Howeth attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he earned both a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Arts degree in Biology. After graduation he worked for Upjohn Company as a pharmaceutical representative in Austin, Texas, before returning to Gainesville to join his father in the family business, Howeth Title and Abstract Company. During his time in Gainesville, Dr. Howeth was active in the Rotary Club, serving as President, served on the Cooke County College (now North Central Texas College) Board of Trustees and worked with the music and youth ministries at Whaley United Methodist Church. After several years of working at Howeth Title and Abstract, Dr. Howeth received a call to the ministry. He was ordained by the United Methodist Church as a Deacon in 1989 and as an Elder in 1992. He dedicated the remainder of his life to serving several churches and communities in the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. He first served as an associate pastor and youth minister at Spring Valley United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, and subsequently served as pastor of the following churches in north Texas: First United Methodist Church, Sachse; First United Methodist Church, The Colony; First United Methodist Church, Nocona; Greenland Hills United Methodist Church, Dallas; Buckingham United Methodist Church, Garland; Schreiber Memorial United Methodist Church, Dallas; and First United Methodist Church, Howe.

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