Reverend Laddie Ray Adams, son of Duane Kingsford Adams and Bessie Beatrice Burton, was born in Beaver City on June 14, 1931. He died on Feb. 10, 2019, at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Jana and David Kuehler, in Frisco, Texas.
He attended the public schools of Guymon, where both his parents taught, and in 1953 graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University. While at OBU, he sang in the Bison Glee Club and lettered as a member of OBU’s first golf team.
Three very important events changed his life forever while he was a student at OBU. He accepted Christ as his Savior in 1950; was called into the gospel ministry; and met Anita Reah Owens whose birthday, coincidentally, was also June 14, 1932. It was inevitable that they should marry on that date in 1954. Their marriage of 64 plus years was a lifelong love story.
Laddie graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in July of 1956 and began his pastoral ministry serving Oklahoma churches in Keyes, Cheyenne and Enid. While at Enid, he accepted a position with the Baptist General Convention in the Department of Language Missions and he and Nita were commissioned to the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board in October of 1966.
Some of the richest memories of his family came from attending services in Native American Baptist churches throughout Oklahoma and spending summers at Falls Creek where Laddie managed the Rec Hut and all sporting events for the campers. In 1970, he returned to the pastorate serving the First Baptist Church of Cordell until 1973 when he accepted the position as Director of the Brotherhood Department at the BGCO, a position he held until his retirement in 1996.
His greatest accomplishment during those years, and the one most dear to his heart, was establishing the Baptist Disaster Relief program for Oklahoma. He and his counterpart in Texas, Bob Dixon, worked together to found Disaster Relief programs for the entire Southern Baptist Convention and it was Laddie who wrote the manuals of operation for the teams. These teams are now recognized throughout Oklahoma, the U.S. and world-wide, as they serve disaster riddled communities in their yellow jackets and caps.
Even after retirement, Laddie continued serving the Lord he loved. He taught a weekly Senior Adult Bible study for over 10 years in his home church, Council Road Baptist in Bethany, and served as interim pastor for Lake Placid Baptist Church in New York.
He is survived by his wife, Nita; son Gerald and his wife Leesa; and grandchildren, Zack and Katherine Adams; and by his daughter Jana and her husband David Kuehler. Those family members who welcomed him into Heaven include his mother and father, D. K. and Bessie Adams; and his son, Jimmy.
His was a life well-lived. A life of integrity and truth.
Memorial services to honor Laddie’s life were held Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 1:00 p.m. at Council Road Baptist Church, 2900 N. Council Road, Bethany, OK. The family has requested that all Disaster Relief Teams wear their yellow jackets. Graveside services will be Thursday, Feb. 21, at 1:00 p.m. in Elmhurst Cemetery, Guymon, OK.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Disaster Relief, Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, 3800 N. May, OKC, 73112. To share a memory or condolence, visit www.mercer-adams.com