Rev. Vernon D. Maxted, 103, of Marshall, MO, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at Hartland Residential Care Center in Marshall.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at First Baptist Church in Marshall. Burial will follow in Ridge Park Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to First Baptist Church or Saline County Jail Ministry in care of Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home. An online guestbook is available at www.campbell-lewis.com.
Born February 7, 1921, in rural Woodward, Oklahoma, Vernon was the son of the late Benjamin Maxted and Lera Bainum Maxted. Vernon was raised on a farm in Wellington, Kansas, graduating from high school in Wellington.
He was saved as a young teenager and was called to the gospel ministry in the spring of 1941; he was licensed in 1941 at First Baptist in Wellington and ordained in 1944 at Sunnyside Baptist Church in Wichita. On June 14, 1942, he married Clareca Davis; they had two daughters, Kay and Gayle. Clareca preceded him in death on June 13, 2019.
God had placed the call of pastoral ministry on Vernon as a young man and he served the calling well. He attended Friend’s University for three years where he and Clareca both took classes; He also pastored at Mayfield Baptist Church. Next, he attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he earned a B.A. degree, while pastoring Henry Prairie Baptist Church. He earned his master’s degree in 1951 from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas.
He pastored several other churches throughout his life, including Maysville and Pacific, Missouri; from there he pastored at Temple Baptist Church where his girls grew up, and at First Baptist Church in Marshall, where he pastored for 14 years. After “retiring” he was a bi-vocational pastor at Bethany Baptist Church for 17 years and then served as interim pastor at New Salem Baptist Church at Marshall Junction. He was a member of the Ministerial Alliance and Rotary Club and served on the executive board of the Missouri Baptist Convention. He was also Chairman of Evangelism for the Saline Baptist Association and on the board of the Baptist Home, as well as serving in many other capacities through the years.
One of his greatest honors was being used to help begin the Saline County Jail ministry. He worked tirelessly in it for years and loved doing it.
Vernon never lost his passion for the call God placed in his heart. While at Hartland Residential Care, after he was over 100 years old, he was still preparing and leading Bible study with the residents.
He was always faithful to visit those who were hurting and grieving and was a wonderful comforter and counselor to all. He led a vast number of people to the Lord through the years.
Vernon had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to tell funny stories and jokes. His family loved hearing humorous stories of things that happened in the ministry and in his growing-up years.
His interests outside of pastoring included gardening and reading Christian biographies and books on revival. When his daughters were young, he made bookshelves, vanities, and a desk for them in his basement woodworking shop while singing songs like “Wabash Cannonball” and “Red River Valley.” He also played the harmonica around campfires on their camping trips! For a while, he enjoyed a motorcycle and was even known to ride it while carrying his Bible! Above all, he loved his Savior. He was consistent and genuine at home, at church, and everywhere else.
In recent years, he often talked about his desire to see Jesus face to face, quoting words from the song, “It Will Be Worth It All,” “One glimpse of his dear face, all trials will erase.” He often said he was homesick for heaven. Words could never express how much he was loved by his family and many others, and how much he will be missed until the Lord reunites us in heaven.
Survivors include one daughter, Kay Davis (Dr. Terry) of Butler, MO; a son-in-law, Larry Charles (Cathy) of Marshall; five grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; two great-great- grandchildren; one brother, Arlen Maxted of Virginia; as well as nieces, nephews and other extended family.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by one daughter, Gayle Charles; two granddaughters, Cathy and Ashley Davis; and four brothers: Duane, Neal, Stanley and Burke Maxted.