William (Bill) Lewis Howse III, 86, of Fairview, TN, passed away on March 14, 2023. He was preceded in death by his father, William Lewis Howse II, and his mother, Genevieve Morgan. He is survived by his wife of 59 fun years, Annette Craddock Howse; his son, William (Bill) Wesley Howse and his precious wife, Ruth; his daughter, Annessa Jean and her wonderful husband, Jason; six grandchildren of whom he was most proud and brought him such joy, Caleb Howse (Sophie), Luke Howse, Wesley Jean, Morgan Jean, Anna-Ruth Jean, and Grady Jean; cousins, Margaret (Peggy) Robertson, of Nashville, TN, and Bryan Morgan, of Boulder, CO.

Bill was a graduate of Union University in Jackson, TN and Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX, where he obtained his Masters of Religious Education and Doctorate in Education.

After seminary, he met his wife, Annette, while working at Buckner Children's Home. (She managed to grab him before the other girls did!) They married in 1963 and then had two children; William (Bill) Wesley and Annessa Kai.

Bill's distinguished career gave him many unique opportunities to honor and serve the Lord. He served in churches in Texas and Tennessee; he was the Director of Organization at the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; he was the Director of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Section of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health; he was the Director of Hurt Gerontology Center at Virginia Baptist Homes (Culpeper, VA); he served in the Family Ministry Department at the Baptist Sunday School Board (Lifeway); he directed the Association of Baptist Ministries with the Aging; and then retired as a Home Mission Board (North American Mission Board) National Missionary, focusing on aging adults and prison ministries.

Those who knew Bill have described him as a humble servant and his life exemplified that in many ways. He never met a stranger; he had a hug, a smile, and a comic for everyone. He was always learning, reading, asking questions, and most importantly listening. He was the world's best cheerleader, always giving an encouraging word to those he met.

There will be a Celebration of Life honoring Bill's life of love and service on Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 10:00am at First Baptist Church, Fairview, TN. (Live stream https://fbcfairview.org)

In lieu of flowers, we are requesting that donations be made to the Benevolence Fund or the Future Building Fund at First Baptist Church Fairview, 7310 Overbey Road, Fairview, TN 37062.