John J. Postlewaite

John J. Postlewaite was born on April 5, 1926 near Graff, Missouri. He was the 8th son of the late John Jefferson and Lucy Jane (Crewse) Postlewaite. He went to be with His Lord on October 21, 2012 at Sentera Leigh Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. He was 86 years, 6 months, and 16 days of age.

John, or Johnnie to many, was saved at the age of 12 at the No. 1 Free Will Baptist Church near Huggins, Missouri, when his teacher dismissed school for the students to attend an 11:00 revival service. He answered the call to preach at the age of 19. After attending Free Will Baptist Bible College (now Welch College) in Nashville, Tennessee, he was ordained as a minister of the gospel in 1947.

He married Leah Mae Scott on September 21, 1948 at the home of Rev. Homer B. Smith near Mountain Grove. To this union were born 4 children: Joseph LaVerne, Mary Susan, Samuel Jon, and Leah Ruth.

John's first pastorate was at Faith and Hope Free Will Baptist Church near Willow Springs, Missouri. There John and Leah lived in a small log cabin, which was the church parsonage. Throughout the next 53 years, he pastored churches in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri. He also planted 7 churches in Washington and Oregon under the auspices of Free Will Baptist Home Missions. He was a well- known evangelist, soul winner, supporter of missions, and mentor to many young people. After moving back to Mountain Grove in his retirement years, he served as Senior Citizens' Pastor at First Free Will Baptist for almost 8 years.

In addition to his calling as a minister, which was always his first priority, John engaged in many other activities to help support his family. He was a skilled carpenter, a real estate agent and broker, and a business entrepreneur. He loved restoring antique furniture, gardening, and taking his grandchildren fishing. He had a lovely tenor voice and often sang in church and at home. He was also a lover of the Scripture and committed many passages to memory. Even in his last days, he spent several hours a day reading the Bible and could still quote many passages.

John and Leah lived with their son Sam in Virginia Beach, VA for the past 2 years, and with their daughter Sue for the previous five years. His family wishes to express their deep gratitude to them, their families, friends, and the host of medical staff who cared for him.

In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by 8 brothers --Wayne, Wade, Harold, James, Carl, Clyde, Curtis, and Paul Postlewaite; and 2 sisters --Freda Edwards and baby Sylvia Marie.

He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Leah; four children: Joe and Pauline Postlewaite of Florence, South Carolina; Sue and Earl Larson of Brentwood, Tennessee; Sam and Diana Postlewaite of Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Ruth and Donnie McDonald of Tokyo, Japan. He is also survived by six grandsons: Joey (and Katie), Jonathan (and Amy), Jeff (and Janet), David (and Joy) Postlewaite, Daniel (and Katie) Larson, and Evan McDonald; six granddaughters: Melissa Larson, Hannah Postlewaite, Christi Postlewaite, Katie (and Daniel) Speer, Amy McDonald, and Caroline McDonald; eight great-grandchildren (Samantha, Jackson, Riley, Alyssa, Sarah, Savannah, Anna Grace, and Jonna Postlewaite); two brothers: Gene (and Glenna) Postlewaite; Dean (and Jeanie) Postlewaite; two sisters: Berneice Peterson and Margie McCarty, all of Mountain Grove; numerous nieces and nephews, and a host of friends. Only eternity will reveal how many spiritual children were saved because of his faithful witness.

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant ... enter into the joy of thy Lord." (Matthew 25:21)

Memorial Contributions:
Free Will Baptist International Missions c/o the funeral home.