Dr. Jack B. Fellows

Dr. Jack Beverly Fellows, 91, died peacefully on June 14, 2009 in Bolivar, MO. The son of Don Barnd Fellows and Del Etna Loveless, he was born on July 22, 1918 in Springfield, MO. He and Edythe Mae Hammack were married in 1939 in Southwest City, MO. The family lived in Bloomington, IN until 1967 when they moved to Potomac, MD. They moved to Bolivar in 2004 from Silver Spring, MD and attended First and Calvary Presbyterian Church in Springfield, MO., where Jack was an elder and served on the Mission Committee. Edythe passed away in February, 2009. In 1940, Jack received an associate art degree in religion at Southwest Baptist University (formerly Southwest Baptist College) in Bolivar, MO. He went on to receive a bachelor of arts in religious education and youth minister in 1944 from Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK and a master of religious education in 1946 and a doctorate in religion education in 1948 from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX. Jack began his professional career as a professor of religious education and special studies at the Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, KS. In 1954, he joined Indiana University-Bloomington as an instructor, where he also received a masters of science in both recreation and in audio visual education and communications. While in Bloomington, he started a non-profit organization know as Boy Builders of America, Inc. that taught constructions skills to at-risk young men. In 1967, he moved his family to Washington, DC where he joined Goodwill Industries of America, Inc. After leaving Goodwill, he was on the staff of several private schools and eventually opened his own school for disadvantaged youth in the Washington, DC area named Contemporary Learning Centers. He then partnered with his sons for over ten years in a retail store called Aquariums, Terrariums, and Things. While in the Washington, DC area, Jack and Edythe were faithful members of the National Presbyterian Church and lead several mission teams to the Holy Land. After a successful career in education and business, Jack and Edythe retired in 1984 and were heavily involved in volunteer work in Maryland and eventually became missionaries in both Palestine and Croatia. In 1998, they founded Life Center International-America, Inc., a non-profit that has raised substantial funds to support mission organizations and individuals. Both Jack and Edythe were committed to both Bolivar and the Southwest Baptist University. Jack was a devoted member of the Bolivar Rotary Club and helped raise the funds for the Bolivar Rotary Park. He was also a member of the Polk County Senior Center Board, the Bolivar Chamber of Commerce, and the Bolivar Habitat for Humanity Fund Raising Committee. He was the Treasurer of the Polk County Senior Citizens Service Tax Fund Board and created the Polk County property tax project that provides assistance for Polk County citizens over sixty. Jack was president of his SBU freshman class and lettered in both tennis and track. He was on the SBU Alumni Association Board and the SBU Endowment for Missions Committee. He loved the SBU football, basketball, and tennis teams and he and Edythe attended their games faithfully. Jack received the SBU Life Service Award in 2002 and the SBU Alumni Association Edwin Lightfoot Award in 2007. In 2004, Jack and Edythe were recognized by SBU as SBU Global Ambassadors and they created the SBU Global Ambassador Awards, which continues to support SBU mission students. Survivors include his sister Martha E. Robinson, Jefferson City, MO and Jack and Edythe s five children: David W. Fellows and wife, Sarah, Columbia, SC; Dawna B. Hopeman and husband, Ross, Lander, WY; Dr. Jack D. Fellows and wife, Kay, Boulder, CO; Douglas R. Fellows, Bolivar, MO; Dr. Neal H. Fellows and wife, Deborah, Lake Leelanau, MI; and daughter-in-law Patti Gehrke, Conyers, GA. Jack and Edythe also had 14 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. Cremation is under the direction of Murray Funeral Home, 911 W. Broadway, Bolivar, MO 65613. A private family memorial service will be held on June 20, 2009 in Bolivar, MO. Expressions of sympathy and any tax-exempt gifts may be mailed to Life Center International, Inc. Box 353, Bolivar, MO 65613-0353. Life Center gifts will go to support missionaries and mission work in Bosnia, Croatia, and the Philippines; Palestinian Christian students at the Bethlehem Bible College; and SBU students involved in various mission programs. PDF Printable Version

Dr. Jack B. Fellows

July 22, 1918 - June 14, 2009