Pastor Emeritus C.L. Fuqua is now in Heaven! He died September 11, 2010 at Heartland of Marion.
Rev. C.L. Fuqua was born in Livingston County, Kentucky December 31, 1923 to the late Luther and Lottie (Sanders) Fuqua.
He learned the value of hard work while growing up on the family farm in Massac County, Illinois before leaving to proudly serve in the U.S. Navy from 1942-1945 as a Boatswain’s Mate Second Class.
He married Freda Fick, who survives him, on January 4, 1946. While working as a sheet metal foreman in Paducah, Kentucky in 1950, he was called to preach and enrolled in Bible Baptist Seminary of Fort Worth, Texas (now Arlington Baptist College) where he earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1953 and Master of Theology in 1954.
He and his family moved to Columbus to serve the congregation of Columbus Baptist Temple as assistant pastor with Dr. Richard Hankins for nine years. Grace Baptist Church of Marion called Rev. Fuqua as their first pastor in 1964. He pastored at Grace for 30 years where many affectionately called him “Preacher” and is now Pastor Emeritus. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Arlington Baptist College and was a Life-Member, Past-Commander and Chaplain of William F. Britton Post 6817 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Mount Victory.
Many in the Marion area heard Pastor Fuqua each Sunday morning for 35 years on WMRN. While he no longer meets his listeners on the air, his sign-off still rings true as he ended each broadcast, “Whether I meet you in the air or on the air, this is Pastor Fuqua saying, good morning.”
C.L. and Freda were blessed with two daughters, Jan Sloan of Marion and Joy (Ken) Roshon of Arizona; six grandchildren, Janell (Allan) O’Neil, Janna (Bryan) Mengerink, JoRae (Matt) Richards, Jay (Angie) Sloan, Nathanael (Jennifer) Roshon and Luke Roshon and 10 great-grandchildren, Allyssa & Britton O’Neil, Kendra Pontius, Carson, Courtney & Kyra Mengerink, Raeleigh & Parker Richards and Clayton & Tucker Sloan. He is also survived by three sisters, Evelyn Evers, Jane McGinnis and Ruth Troup as well as many nieces and nephews.
Preacher was met in Heaven by his parents; three brothers, R.B., Cleo Duel and Howard; four sisters, Mary Heffington, Dorothy Reynolds, Rebecca Sommer and Frances Adkins; son-in-law, Jerry Sloan and great-granddaughter, Kaylynn Rae Richards.
Family will receive friends on Tuesday from 1-4 and 6-8 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church, 1560 Marion-Marysville Rd. where the funeral will be held Wednesday at 10:30 am with Rev. Nicholas Worden officiating. Burial will follow in Caledonia Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be given to Grace Baptist Church through Boyd-Born Funeral Home who assisted the Fuqua family with arrangements. Expressions of sympathy may be left at
www.boydbornfuneralhome.com.
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