Dr. Ralph H. Sexton Sr.

Asheville - Dr. Ralph Hanes Sexton, Sr., 84, of 156 Shelburne Road went home to be with Jesus Tuesday, January 13, 2004 at his residence. Dr. Sexton was born to the late Charlie Harrison Sexton and Mary Elizabeth Shetley Sexton on September 14, 1919. He was born in a log cabin just beyond Buzzard Rock at Sassafras Gap on the Ox Creek side of Elk Mountain. He was a 1937 Graduate of Emma High School where he was Valedictorian of his class. He attended Toccoa Falls Bible College in Georgia and Nyack Missionary Training Institute in Nyack, N.Y. He received his Doctor of Divinity by Tabernacle Baptist College, Greenville, SC on May 25, 1979. Dr. Sexton was Pastor Emeritus of Trinity Baptist Church on 216 Shelburne Road, Asheville. He preached for 66 years starting in the streets, in tent meetings, in Jesus Saves Mission (of which he and his brother, Lee built and still stands below the east end of the eastbound lanes of Smokey Park Bridge). He then preached at the Church of the Nazarene, 107 State Street and in 1968 founded Trinity Baptist Church. Throughout his ministry Dr. Sexton did Daily Broadcast Radio on WWNC through World War II, started his TV Ministry in 1960 on WLOS-TV of which it continues today on Cable Channel 16. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his brothers, Lee, Raymond, Perry and Paul Sexton; sister, Evelyn Roberson and great grandchildren, Ralph Jackson Parrish and Kalin Rebecca Ingle. Surviving are his wife, Jacqueline Buckner Sexton of which they were married on Christmas Eve in 1944, having just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary; son, Pastor Ralph Sexton, Jr. and wife, Muzette of Leicester; daughter, Rebecca Templeton and husband, Jim of Asheville; grandchildren, Beverly Sexton Parrish and husband, Dwight of Costa Rica, Mark Sexton and wife, Sheri, Matthew Templeton and wife, Heather of Asheville, Pastor Kent Sexton and wife, Leigh of Clinton, Maine and Elizabeth Ingle and husband, Josh of Candler; great grandchildren, Winston Parrish, Savannah Parrish, Scarlett Parrish, Preston Sexton, Sophia Parrish, Ian Sexton, Alena Templeton, Irely Ingle, Alexis Sexton and Juliet Sexton; brother, Frank Sexton and wife, Jean of Alexander and sister, Ethel Hyatt of Asheville. Dr. Sexton will lie in state from 11 a.m. Thursday at Trinity Baptist Church until the service hour. The family will receive friends from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the church and at other times will be at the residence. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the Trinity Baptist Church with Pastor Ralph Sexton, Jr., Pastor Jerry Payne, and Dr. Sextons grandsons, Brother Matthew Templeton and Pastor Kent Sexton officiating. Burial will be in Green Hills Cemetery. Pallbeares will be Matthew Templeton, Mark Sexton, Kent Sexton, Josh Ingle, Paul McKinney, Cliff Shuler, Dwight Parrish and Danny Quinn. Honorary Pallbearers will be Robert Proffitt, Jerry Young, Maurice Plemmons, Bob Skiles, all ministers of Trinity Baptist Church and fellow ministers of the Gospel. Funeral services will be webcast live starting at 1 p.m. EST Friday at www.tbcasheville.org