Cecil O. Roy, a former leader at Gospel Outreach, passed away Oct. 30, 2022, in Farmington, New Mexico.
Born April 4, 1929, in Tillamook, Ore., Roy went on to graduate in 1948 from Laurelwood Academy, which is where he met his future wife, Alice Caroline Deardorff. They were married in 1949.
In 1958, Roy graduated from Walla Walla College with a degree in education.
During the years that followed, Roy taught, traveled to Kenya as a missionary, served as principal at two academies, was ordained a minister, and finally retired as superintendent of education for the Oregon Conference.
Of course, retirement is just a word. In 1992, Arnold Pflugrad introduced Roy to Gospel Outreach, which was just getting started at the time. As his first assignment, Roy wrote a policy book for the organization. Then he served as vice president, president, and board chairman before leaving Gospel Outreach in 2011.
During his time with Gospel Outreach, Roy had the opportunity to travel to India and Bangladesh—both lifetime dreams. He and Alice also spent many summers representing the organization at camp meetings and conferences across the United States.
With deep appreciation, the staff at Gospel Outreach remembers Roy’s commitment to mission work and the organization. We look forward to seeing the fruits of his labors and reuniting someday soon.