Stratford, Rev. Joseph W. 1935-2003

STRATFORD, SIMMONS, PARROTT

Posted By: volunteer (email)
Date: 10/18/2005 at 20:41:13

LYNNVILLE - Rev. Joseph "Joe" W. Stratford, 68, of Lynnville died of congestive heart failure Monday, March 3, at Mercy Hospital Medical Center in Des Moines.

Funeral services will be held Friday at 10:30 a.m. at Altoona Regular Baptist Church in Altoona with the Rev. Chris Humburg, pastor, and the Rev. David Little of Ohio officiating. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Woodland Cemetery in Lynnville with the Rev. Don Johnston of Grinnell officiating. Pence Funeral Home in Newton is handling arrangements.

Friends may call after 5 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home where the family will be available from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and from 9 to 10 a.m. Friday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials will be accepted in his name or to the Baptist Church Planters in Ohio.

The son of William J. and Gladys E. (Simmons) Stratford, he was born Feb. 14, 1935, in Moores Corner, Mass. He was a high school graduate and attended Elhom Baptist Institute in Castile, N.Y. and received a Master of Ministry Degree from Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, Penn.

On Feb. 4, 1956, he married Beverly A. Parrott in Turners Falls, Mass. He was a pastor of a Regular Baptist Church for many years, one in Delevan, N.Y. He retired in January of 2000 and was the regional field director for the Midwest region for Baptist Church Planter in Ohio.

He was a member of the Deleyan, N.Y., Baptist Church and enjoyed all sports, golfing, hunting and carpentry work. He moved to Altoona from Delevan, N.Y., in 2001 and to Lynnville in 2002.

Survivors include his wife; five sons and daughters-in-law, Steven and Cynthia Stratford of Watertown, Wis., Ronald Stratford of Nashville, Tenn., Jonathan and Lee Stratford of Grinnell, Samuel and Christina Stratford of Woodhaven, Mich., and David and Benedetta Stratford of Saline, Mich.; one daughter, Virginia Stratford of Altoona; six grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two brothers, Stanley and Richard Stratford; both of Massachusetts; two sisters, Edith McIntash of West Virginia and Mary Alexander of Florida; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and four sisters.

The Newton Daily News, Wednesday, March 5, 2003