Funeral services for the Rev. George Ray Gaddie of Campbellsville, a 1942 graduate of Campbellsville University and long time servant of CU, were held at Parrott and Ramsey Funeral Home Wednesday, April 15, 2009. He passed away on Sunday, April 12 at the age of 92.
Gaddie will be remembered as a stalwart of Kentucky Baptist life in this region and beyond.
Officiating at his service were his pastor, Dr. Skip Alexander, Campbellsville Baptist Church; his former pastor and Campbellsville University trustee, Dr. J. Chester Badgett; and CU President Dr. Michael Carter.
Alexander said, “George Gaddie embodied not only the love of Christ, but the calling of ministry within his long tenure. He loved his Lord, and loved people with a long life of integrity. It has been my pleasure to call him friend and mentor these seven years as his pastor.”
“Rev. George Gaddie was the very essence of a Christian servant leader,” Carter said. “He was a strong supporter of Campbellsville University who served as a member of the Board of Trustees and was active as one of the original members of the President’s Club and Church Relations Council.”
In his comments, Badgett, pastor emeritus at Campbellsville Baptist Church, spoke of the close friendship that he enjoyed with Gaddie and of the work they did in the community while serving together in the pastoral ministry.Badgett recalled the strong commitment that Gaddie had to the pastorate and his faithful Christian service to numerous people.
Carter said that Gaddie’s pastoral ministry touched the lives of thousands of people in this region and beyond and he had maintained a strong and positive spirit even after encountering health issues in recent years.
“Rev. Gaddie will be missed by all of us at Campbellsville University, and we extend our deepest sympathy to Mrs. Gaddie and all of his family,” Carter said.
“I have known Bro. George Gaddie for 28 years,” said Dr. James E. Jones, pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Taylor County magistrate of district one, and CU Church Relations Council assistant. “He was one of the most energetic, caring, faithful and involved pastors I have ever known. He was a sincere individual that could be best described as “what you see is what you get.”
His life of service began early when made his profession of faith and was baptized at age 14 at Friendship Baptist Church. He was ordained into the ministry by Friendship Baptist Church in 1942.
The Baptist churches he served over the years in Kentucky and Ohio included Frey’s Creek, Mt. Roberts, Friendship (twice), Edmonton, Bradfordsville, Arbuckle, Mackville, Salem (three times), Cane Valley, Good Hope, and Yuma.
Gaddie was a graduate of Campbellsville Junior College, Georgetown Baptist College, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He became an area missionary in Ohio in 1954 and started South Toledo Baptist Church in 1955 which was the first Southern Baptist Church in Toledo.
He united in marriage to Shirley B’Hymer in 1945 who preceded him in death in 1949.
In 1951 he united in marriage to Wilma Lester who survives him.
Gaddie is also survived by:
Two sons and two daughters: David Gaddie and Jane Wheatley of Campbellsville, Ray Gaddie of Port Charlotte, Fla., and Becky Ford of Sandy Hook, Conn.;
Four grandchildren: Ben (Jordan) Ford and Stephen Ford of Campbellsville, Jaclyn (Neil) Dabney of Mannsville and Landon Dickens of Nashville, Tenn.;
Six great-grandchildren: Zachary Ford, Desmond Ford, Zachary Boils and Devon Ford of Campbellsville, and Hayden Dabney and Noah Dabney of Mannsville;
One sister, Mary Gilpin of Hodgenville, Ky., and one sister-in-law, Blanche Gaddie of Campbellsville in addition to nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.
Campbellsville University is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,601 students who represent 93 Kentucky counties, 27 states and 31 foreign nations. Listed in U.S.News & World Report’s 2009 “America’s Best Colleges,” CU is ranked 22nd in “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the South for the second consecutive year. CU has been ranked 16 consecutive years with U.S.News & World Report. The university has also been named to America’s Best Christian Colleges®. Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his tenth year as president.