Dr. William Eugene Townes Sr.

Obituary of William Eugene Townes
(March 24, 1933 – January 29, 2023)
He knew not just the names of cashiers, DMV clerks, and waitresses but also the names of their children, grandchildren, and pets. He could lay his hands on a twenty-five-year-old extended warranty in 15 seconds flat and grow enough vegetables in a weed-free backyard garden patch to keep his family in produce for a year. He thought nothing of raking and mowing a nearby widow's yard for twelve years so she could stay in her family home. Though busy with church ministry, a home business, and graduate work, he had time to read the Bible and pray with his family at breakfast each day and to join his children in their backyard basketball games after school. Throughout his retirement he treated every family member with a "Happy Birthday to You" solo on his harmonica and thrilled his grandchildren with rides on his red Suzuki motorcycle.
He was William Eugene (Gene) Townes: a hardworking, meticulous, generous, compassionate, loving, humble, faithful servant of God. Born on March 24, 1933, in Augusta, Georgia, he was the beloved husband of now-deceased Marian Rice for 64 years, father of Suzanne (Paul) Hamilton, Sara (Joe) Brazeal, Marcellyn (Bill) Reagan, and Bill (DeAnna) Townes, grandfather of 17 and great grandfather of 17.
He could lavish his love on others because the great love of his life, the Lord Jesus Christ, transformed him at the age of sixteen. While teaching a ninth-grade Sunday school class on Romans 10:9-10, God opened his spiritual eyes, causing him to see that he himself had never been saved. At that moment he put his faith and trust in Christ alone, and the trajectory of his life changed. Gone was the desire to become an FBI agent. Instead he enrolled at Bob Jones University, graduating cum laude in 1954 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, marrying Marian Rice that same year. Upon graduation, he taught Greek as a graduate assistant at BJU while earning his teacher certification.
In 1955 Gene and Marian worked for nine months as missionary interns at Inter-City Baptist Church (ICBC) in Allen Park, Michigan. On May 4, 1956, he was ordained by ICBC. Soon raising full support, they traveled by steamship to Brussels, Belgium in 1957, where they completed language school. In 1960 they traveled to the Belgium Congo, proclaiming the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ there and then in the Central African Republic until 1972 – communicating in French and the African languages of Lingala and Sango.
At that time he transitioned into full-time ministry at Inter-City Baptist Church first as principal and teacher in the Christian school and then as associate pastor until 1998, where he was respected and loved. Among dozens of roles across his decades of service-from Christian education director to vehicle maintenance man to hospitality coordinator-- many will remember his daily phone calls to check on spiritual and personal welfare, his visits to homes and hospital bedsides to share genuine concern and spiritual counsel, and his weekly newsletter with Bible teaching and prayer request updates. Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of vehicles, he also helped individuals and ministries across the country acquire affordable cars, trucks and vans from a local auto auction.
A lifetime student of the word of God, Pastor Townes was awarded the Master of Divinity degree from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary in Allen Park, MI on May 13, 1983. Ten years later he completed the Doctor of Ministry degree from the Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Minneapolis, MN.
After his retirement, he continued working part-time at Inter-City, teaching Sunday school, visiting, and conducting funerals until December of 2019. Following the death of Marian on February 3, 2020, Pastor Townes moved to be near family in Ohio, where he ended his earthly pilgrimage, faithfully praying for each member of his family and for many others each day, despite many illnesses. The example he left his family, his friends, his care team, and his "chance" acquaintances was "follow me even as I follow Christ." He fulfilled the pledge of surrender he made to Christ during his college days: "I'll go. I'll do. I'll be."