Rev. John Bloye

Family-Placed Death Notice

REV. JOHN BLOYE In the past three years, Rev. John Bloye ministered to thousands of people around the world during several mission trips to Jamaica, Cuba and Israel. As Pastor of Care at the West Ridge Church, with more than 2,500 in attendance weekly in Paulding County, he counseled hundreds of people with marital difficulties and personal problems. But in the end, Rev. Bloye died doing what he loved best: spending time with his sons. Rev. Bloye passed away on Friday in an accident while rafting on Nantahala River in Bryson City, NC. The 59-year-old Hiram resident was on final leg of a two-day trip to the mountains with his 13-year-old son Jonathan. John Bloye was born on Nov. 24, 1944 in Chatham, Ontario but he always insisted that his most important birthday was April 11, 1976 - the day he asked Jesus Christ into heart as Savior. Shortly after, he sold his successful business in Westland, Mich. and moved his family to Arlington, Texas to pursue his Bible degree. Months after graduating from Arlington Baptist College in 1983, the Rev. Bloye started his first church in Boynton Beach, Fla. In 1985, he moved his family back to his home state of Michigan to pastor another church, the Liberty Baptist Church in Howell. There, he served as pastor for more than 15 years overseeing a ministry that experienced steady growth while touching countless lives in and around Livingston County. In the summer of 2001, Rev. Bloye honored God's calling once again and moved his family to Hiram, GA to serve on the staff of West Ridge Church, a fast-growing Paulding County church started in 1997 by his son, Brian. In Georgia, Rev. Bloye, reunited with his oldest sons, Brian and Kevin, and his four grandchildren, had the opportunity to demonstrate Christ's unconditional love on a daily basis by counseling people in crisis, conducting hospital visits, and leading other West Ridge ministries geared to senior adults, motorcycle riders and horse riders. But for Rev. Bloye, his first - and most important - ministry was always at home. In May of this year, Rev. Bloye and his high school sweetheart, Judy, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary - which would have been on July 11 - with a seven-day Caribbean cruise. A dedicated father, Rev. Bloye cherished every opportunity to spend with his three sons. Be it a camping trip, a baseball game, or a visit to the movie theatre, Rev. Bloye devoted time to his sons as if each day was his last. Just more than a week ago, on Father's Day, Rev. Bloye, in collaboration with his son, Brian, delivered his final sermon to the packed West Ridge auditorium, titled, "A Father's Blessing." In celebration of the life of John Bloye, his family will receive friends and family Monday, June 28, from 2-4 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. at the Carmichael Funeral Home in Marietta. His funeral service will be held Tuesday, June 29, 2004, 1 p.m. at the Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Time to Build Fund, West Ridge Church, 1817 Hiram-Douglasville Highway, Suite 104, Hiram, GA 30141. Survivors include wife, Judy Bloye, Hiram; Son Brian and his wife, Amy of Hiram; Son Kevin and his wife Dawn of Dallas; and Son Jonathan of Hiram. His grandchildren are John Taylor, Caleb, Zachary and Cara Grace. Other survivors include brother Fredrick Bloye of Mt. Morris Mich. and sisters Donna Tinder of Waterford, Mich. and Linda MacKay of Novi, Mich.