Memorials › Rev Brady Franklin “BF” Risinger Jr.
Rev Brady Franklin “BF” Risinger Jr.
9 Jan 1938 – 8 Dec 2020
| Birth | 9 Jan 1938 |
| Death | 8 Dec 2020 |
| Cemetery | Oakwood Cemetery Corsicana , Navarro County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | jdbradley on 06 Sep 2024 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/219587434 |
Bio
Reverend B. F. Risinger, Jr. passed away December 8, 2020 at the age of 82. B.F. was born January 9, 1938 in Shamrock, Texas to B.F. Risinger, Sr. and Monnie Derr Risinger. B.F., Sr. was a graduate of Texas A&M who worked for his whole career at the Farmers' and Merchants' State Bank in Shamrock. It was once said that he had held every possible position in the First Baptist Church except pastor and President of the Womens' Missionary Union. Monnie taught English at Shamrock Junior High School. An only child, BF enjoyed a happy childhood growing up in a small town, involved in all church activities and the Boy Scouts. A favorite family story from his childhood (around 4-5 years old) was that once in the middle of the night, during a lightning and thunder storm, his father tried to calm his fears and they sat at the window together. His father talked to him about how God controls the lightning, thunder, and rain and protects us when we're afraid, as they sat and watched lightning strike the house across the street and set it on fire. His best friend throughout childhood, Roger Whitehurst, lived across the street and remained a close friend throughout his life, until Roger's death some years ago. He and Roger were proud of being the first two customers at a hamburger restaurant that opened in Shamrock when they were about 14. B.F. loved taking his children there and introducing them to the proprietor, who was still there. In high school, B.F. was the manager of the football team (Shamrock Fighting Irish) and played flute and piccolo in the marching band. Playing the flute remained something he enjoyed throughout his life. He had a German pen pal with whom he corresponded for several years and who sent him a number of gifts that have become family treasures, especially pictures, an elaborate foil-paper mobile, and an enormous 18th century German pulpit Bible. At 18, he answered the call to the ministry and dedicated his life to becoming a pastor, becoming ordained the following year. After graduation, B.F. went on to Hardin Simmons University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a minor in Psychology. He loved poetry, especially Milton. At this time, he also took organ lessons, despite having never taken piano lessons. He maintained a passionate love of organ music and began collecting the substantial collection of LPs that he retained throughout his life. After college, he declined fellowship offers in English literature and went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth (M.Div.). He spent at least one summer working for El Paso Natural Gas and Pipeline and loved telling stories about pouring gasoline in one end of a stack of pipes in order to force the rattlesnakes to leave their cool shelter at the other end. It was while attending seminary that B.F. met Janice Ruth Preston from Childress, Texas, who was teaching first grade in Dallas. They met through mutual friends and went to see West Side Story on their first date. Neither of them ever went on a date with anyone else after that. She says she knew she had found "the one" when they attended a Dallas Symphony concert and she glanced over to see tears running down his cheeks. They were married in Childress on November 23,1962. They moved to Tyler, TX, where he was Assistant Pastor and Minister of Youth at First Baptist Church from 1963-1967. He went on to become Pastor of First Baptist Church of Hughes Springs, TX 1967-1971, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Gladewater, TX 1971-1979, and Pastor of First Baptist Church of Corsicana, Texas 1979-2004. When asked in a newspaper profile many years later for his greatest accomplishment in life, he said "Marrying the sweetest girl I know." After they were married and moved to Tyler, TX, two boys, Mark and Andrew, were born two years apart. Having a family had been important to them from the start of their marriage, and he never stopped telling them how proud he was of them, that they were the most important things in the world to him. Being a minister - especially one as devoted as he - often takes so much energy that his family feels neglected. He made sure that didn't happen. He once shared during a sermon that every day when he left the church, he spent the first half of the one-mile drive home reflecting on his day, what had gone well and what still worried him. For the second half of the drive (after the stoplight by the football stadium), he thought about his wife and sons, wondering what kind of day they had had, what had happened at school, etc., so that by the time he pulled into the garage, his thoughts were directed toward his family and their concerns. Sitting down around the dinner table together was always a top priority, and memories of those meals are among his family's happiest memories and best stories. Always an optimist - like his Dad before him – and devoted to the Lord, B.F. was an early riser who made the coffee and was usually reading his Bible in solitude before the rest of the family was awake. He lived a life of service to others in every way that he could find - personal visitation, membership on numerous educational and charitable boards, preaching, singing, and mowing. He loved yard work, at home and elsewhere - he never met a patch of grass he wouldn't mow. The Corsicana Food Pantry was one of his favorite causes, and he spent years mowing the lawn of the house they occupied - one of the other board members nicknamed him "the Lawn Ranger." Over the years, he held a position on many boards and charitable organizations, including: Board of Trustees, Hardin Simmons University; Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board (Chair); Board of Trustees, ETBU; Rotary Club, Paul Harris Fellow; Corsicana Food Pantry; Salvation Army Advisory Board; Child Protective Services; Corsicana PD Chaplain; Navarro Regional Hospital Chaplain; Corsicana Ministerial Alliance (President); Navarro Drug and Alcohol Abuse Committee; and Retention Counselor, Navarro Junior College (after retiring from FBC in 2004). One of his greatest joys in Corsicana was seeing Calvario Mission of FBC become an independent church. He oversaw reconstruction of the FBC sanctuary after it collapsed in 1999 and the construction of the new Family Life Center. He made memorable trips to lead evangelism efforts in Calgary and the Philippines, which he cherished. Once asked in a newspaper profile about the most satisfying part of his work, he said "Dealing with eternal things." Over the years, B.F. was able to spend some unforgettable family time on trips to the Southern Baptist Convention that took them to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and Williamsburg; the Rockies, Yellowstone, San Francisco, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon; and Atlanta and Miami. Each trip ended the same, as he pulled back into the garage, he would say, "Home again, home again, jiggety jog!" In later years, B.F. and Janice took trips to New England, England, Germany, Israel / the Holy Land, and he received an Alaskan cruise from the church when he celebrated his 20th anniversary as pastor. He loved reminiscing about those travels. In his free time, B.F. loved playing the flute, and his main exercise was lots of yard work - mowing grass and raking leaves. He had been given some beautiful antique clocks as a high schooler and tended to them with great care throughout his life. A constant reader, he inspired a love of books in the whole family and had a nice collection of antiquarian books. He loved languages and worked to keep up his knowledge of German, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. C. S. Lewis was probably his favorite author, though he also really enjoyed John Grisham novels. He loved watching the Cowboys and eating Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream. Living a life of integrity, humor, and service to others, people will remember B.F. as an outstanding preacher and public speaker away from the pulpit; his lightning quick wit, quips, and word play; the beauty of his singing, and his genuine concern for everyone who crossed his path. Another staff member once wrote a tribute some years ago which said: "As staff members, we see him not simply on Sunday when everybody is or should be on their best behavior but also on a daily basis when people's true selves emerge. I assure you, what you see on Sunday with B.F. is what you see on Monday through Saturday with him. B.F. cares for people. He rightfully gets upset when a staff member fails to tell him about somebody in our church hurting. He's on call 24 hours a day, and not once have I seen him grudgingly serve a church member in time of real need." B.F. leaves behind his wife Janice Ruth Preston Risinger, his sons Mark Preston Risinger (New York City) and James Andrew Risinger (Nashville), his sister-in-law Linda Preston, his nephew Drake Preston, his cousins David Risinger, Pat Risinger, Virginia Risinger, and Judi Russell, and his great nephews Todd Storm, Stephen Storm, Logan Storm, Aiden Griffith, and great niece Camryn Preston. To honor B.F.'s life, his family has planned a service for 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Thursday, December 10, 2020 at First Baptist Church of Corsicana with Dr. Danny P Reeves officiating. Interment will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Corsicana. To view a live stream of the service, please follow this link. *At the request of the family, masks are required for the service.* In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the B.F. and Jan Risinger Endowed Scholarship at Hardin Simmons University; HSU Advancement Office Box 16100 Abilene, TX 79698 Arrangements especially for the Risinger Family by Corley Funeral Home.
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