Rev. Ralph Hollandsworth Obituary (1928

Rev. RALPH DEAN HOLLANDSWORTH Our incredible husband, father, and grandfather passed into the arms of the Lord whom he loved and served on June 4, 2010. Ralph was born on Nov. 17, 1929, in Cordell, OK, to James I. & Edith Hollandsworth, and was the 6th of 10 children. The family lived in Oklahoma for a short time, and then moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. There, his father farmed, and this is likely where Ralph's love of planting and harvesting was born. When Ralph was in his late teens, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and felt the call of God upon his life to become a missionary. He met his future bride, Rosemary, at First Assembly of God church in Grand Junction, CO. She was also called to be a missionary, and they began studying and preparing for a life of service to God. In 1950, he graduated from Central Bible College, and then served as senior pastor in Blair, OK. In 1956, after being accepted as a missionary by the Assemblies of God, Ralph and his bride travelled by ship to Liberia, West Africa, and lived in the bush town of Feloka. The town was a three day walk to the nearest road. Ralph was in his element - no amount of snakes, spiders, or life in a mud hut could ever dampen his enthusiasm of being on the mission field. In the early 1960's, he was airlifted from that small village due to severe convulsions, which resulted in him becoming paralyzed from the neck down. While this may have deterred others from returning to Africa, it certainly did not phase him! In less than a year he had recovered and rehabilitated, and he and Rosemary returned to Liberia. Ralph and his wife served in Liberia from 1956-1975, and then moved to Ghana, where they served from 1975-1996. They primarily worked in Bible schools ? teaching and training nationals to preach the gospel of Christ. Ralph was known not only for his tremendous teaching and preaching abilities, but also for his practical side ? building and expanding the campuses, and encouraging the schools to establish farms and become as self sufficient as possible. After retirement from active missionary work, the couple lived in Broken Arrow, OK, and were involved at Broken Arrow Assembly of God church. He also taught Berean classes, which continued his role in training pastors. In 2005, they moved from Broken Arrow, OK to Gig Harbor, WA, in order to be closer to their daughter. In that new home, Ralph proceeded to plant in every available spot in the yard, and had to be restrained from canning every blackberry he saw. He never did figure out that blackberries are the national weed in WA! They attended Harbor Life Church, and he led a Bible Study group until the very end. Ralph was much more than simply a godly man. He loved a good joke, and when he got to laughing it was infectious to all those around him. He doted on his wife. It was the norm to see them holding hands and exchanging loving glances. He loved watching the news and always tried to find some obscure story to tell you about. He mastered the computer and found a website with southern Gospel singing ? which he insisted on playing at full volume! He was always in the process of learning something new ? and his humble spirit and kindness were known to everyone. Ralph is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Rosemary, his daughter Rebecca Brooks and her husband Jim, (Gig Harbor), three grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters, Shirley Gore(Glade Park, CO), & Auda Petraglia(Las Vegas), as well as his brother Bob (San Antonio). The family wishes to express their deep appreciation to Dr. Rachelle Guinto & her nurse Erin, who provided him with absolutely excellent care, to Franciscan Hospice ? especially Anna, who cared tenderly for him, and to Harbor Place at Cottesmore ? whose staff went above and beyond to make his last days wonderful. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Central Bible College scholarship fund which the couple set up several years ago, specifically to be used for students with the call of God upon their lives to go into career missions work. That scholarship is The Ralph & Rosemary Hollandsworth Building Missionaries Scholarship, and donations may be sent to the fund at: Central Bible College, 3000 N. Grant, Springfield, MO 65803. Visitation will be held at Haven of Rest Funeral Home on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 from 4PM-8PM. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 2PM at Harbor Life Church. Burial will be at Haven of Rest Cemetery immediately following the service.