Rev. Kenton Ray Renfroe

Rev. Kenton Ray Renfroe

Flowood, MS - Reverend Kenton Ray Renfroe went peacefully to be with his Lord on Saturday, May 19, at 4:45 a.m., from his residence in Flowood, Mississippi, after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's. He was 82 years of age.

Rev. Renfroe, or "Brother Ken" as he was often called by those he served, was born on June 7, 1935, in Forrest County, Mississippi, at Rose Hill Dairy, the fourth of six children and the second son born to John Plez Renfroe and Nettie Hamilton Renfroe. He was converted to Christ on June 14, 1951, and joined the Monticello Methodist Protestant Church. In July of that year, he felt a call to preach and was licensed on September 23 by the Mississippi Conference of the MP Church. After graduating from Mount Carmel High School, Jackson, Kentucky, in 1954, and two years of Bible study at Kentucky Mountain Bible College, Vancleve, he was ordained to the ministry in the MP Church on December 2, 1956. That ceremony inaugurated over fifty years of pastoring churches in Louisiana and Mississippi. In 1968, he reorganized the Louisiana Conference of the MP Church and served the first four years as its president. Rev. Renfroe completed his Master of Education degree from the University of Louisiana, Monroe, in 1984, and he taught Special Education at Ouachita High School, Monroe, Louisiana, for 20 years, all the while attending to his responsibilities as a pastor.

Brother Ken is survived by his devoted wife, Marlene Marie Day Renfroe of Baker, Louisiana, whom he married in 1957. Their 61 years of marriage and ministry produced many memories and four children, all of whom survive: Philip Renfroe (Debbie) of Marion, Indiana; Dennis Renfroe (Beth) of High Point, North Carolina; Lisa Hall (Biff) of Stafford, Virginia; and James Renfroe (Olivia) of Madison, Mississippi. Rev. Renfroe, or "Papaw," is also survived by eleven grandchildren: Aaron Renfroe (Shonna), Bryant Renfroe (Eva), Whitney Renfroe; Angela Kelly (Matt), David Renfroe, Matthew Renfroe; Laura Hall, Anna Taffer (Josh), Kellie Hall; Madison Burgess, Ivy Renfroe; and three great-grandchildren: Samuel Kelly, Colton Taffer, and Evelynn Taffer. Rev. Renfroe is survived by three of his sisters, Alline Rustin of Houston, Texas; Edith Porter (Fred) of Corona, New Mexico, and Annette Scroggins (Roland) of Brandon, Mississippi; his brother, Fred Renfroe (Carole) of Oak Harbor, Washington; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his eldest sister, Ethel Ballew, who was like a second mother to him, having lost his birth mother when he was only 13 years of age.

A memorial service to honor the exceptional life of Rev. Renfroe, God's servant, will be held at the Monticello Methodist Protestant Church on Saturday, May 26, at 2:00 p.m., with Dr. John Neihof, President of Wesley Biblical Seminary, officiating. Burial will follow at the Bethshan Memorial Park cemetery near Monticello. The family will receive friends at the church from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi.

Rev. Renfroe's testimony is "There is no veil or cloud between my Lord and me. There is no obstacle to His indwelling and infilling. I yield my entire being to Him (soul, mind, body); and what I cannot do He can." "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord … that they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them" (Revelation 14:13).

Visit www.wrightferguson.com to sign the online guestbook.