Jesse G Morales' Obituary
Jesse G. Morales went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on January 11, 2021 in Dallas, Texas at the age of 86 from complications of Parkinson’s.
Jesse was born in Houston, Texas on July 16, 1934 to Vicente and Isabel Morales, being the first born of a loving family that later included two brothers and two sisters.
He attended Houston schools and graduated from Jeff Davis High in 1953 where he excelled both in academics and sports, particularly football. He enjoyed the honor of being chosen for the All City Football Team.
At the age of 16 Jesses accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. His total focus in life changed. Having a natural beautiful tenor voice, the pastor of his home church invited him to lead the music for worship services. He so loved doing it that he sought to get training. He applied and received a music scholarship to the University of Corpus Christi, then a Baptist University, now Texas A&M at Corpus Christi. There he joined the a cappella choir, was chosen to sing in the UCC ensemble and a quartet. He was invited to sing the tenor solos of the Christmas Messiah which was performed in several area churches during the Christmas season.
During his freshman year a Baptist Mission was started by a UCC ministerial student in the Molina Community in Corpus Christi. He invited Jesse to help him with the music and of course, Jesse accepted with pleasure. He had become a member of the Baptist Student Union (BSU) and participated in their project “Mission Night” on Friday’s. It involved outreach with children which included singing, a Bible story and games. The children looked forward to Mission Night.
With all his diverse activities in ministry, academics, he still had to make it to work four and sometimes five evenings a week fueling airplanes at the Naval Air Base nearby from 3:00pm to 11:00pm to pay for his education.
During his second year at UCC that he found the love of his life, Aida Gonzales. Both loved music, both sang in the choir, both participated in BSU projects and both served at two different missions. He at Molina Mission and Aida at Santa Elena Baptist Mission.
During the summer of 1955, the director of Missions of Blanco Association approached him with an invitation to go with him to Rockport, Tx 21 miles from Corus Christi because the First Baptist Church there was interested in starting a Hispanic mission and there was family wanting to help him with outreach. After meeting all the people concerned and much prayer he agreed to go. Rockport Baptist Mission was established. By this time, he and Aida were engaged, and they were married at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Corpus Christi on August 25,1956.
Jesse and Aida started their family while serving in Rockport. Their first daughter, Leticia was born on August 6, 1957. After Jesse graduated from UCC the family moved to Sandia, Texas, to start a new mission as Jesse worked for Mathis ISD. The second child, Arnoldo Jesse was born on March 25, 1959 while living in Sandia.
In March of 1960 Jesse was invited to sing in a revival at Primera Iglesia Bautista in Dallas, Texas. During the revival the pastor, together with the deacons invited him to come to Dallas as Music and Education Minister of Primera Iglesia. He came back to Mathis excited and wanting to accept. After much prayer he felt God was opening a new door for service. There were only two problems. He had to finish the school year at Mathis ISD and his wife was expecting their third child on July 6. Sonya was born on time on July 6, 1960. They left for Dallas two weeks later to serve at Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana. The family has been in Dallas 60 years.
After serving five years at Primera, he was called by Calvario Baptist Mission in West Dallas. Our fourth child, Jonathan Mark was born on September 5, 1968 while serving at Calvario. Serving thereafter Jesse was called again by Primera Iglesia Bautista on Fairmont Ave. to again serve as Music and Educational Director.
On February 3, 1980 he was ordained as a Baptist minister by Primera Iglesia Bautista. Soon after he accepted a call from Templo Bautista in McKinney, Texas to become their pastor. It was a fruitful five-year pastorate and he left to return to
Dallas to serve as pastor of East Grand Baptist Chapel Hispanic. While there our son Jonathan went to be with the Lord via a car accident on June 14, 1986, a week after graduating from Skyline High School.
That same summer of 1986 a new church was started in Wilmer, Texas with the help of members of East Grand. It was started as an early afternoon service, but it grew steadily and in 1988 Jesse resigned as Pastor of East Grand to give more time to “El Camino” in Wilmer. After serving there several years, he applied and was selected to be the first Hispanic Consultant of Dallas Baptist Association. He loved his job as it included working with the Hispanic pastors of Dallas Baptist Association the satellite seminary that prepared Hispanic men and women for church ministries and the Companerismo Baustista de Dallas that sought to keep the churches connected. The Hispanic Baptist Churches were thriving and the seminary also experienced much growth. Jesse retired from Dallas Baptist Association in 2001 but it appeared as he had not retired.
He continued to serve as interim pastor at Primera IglesIia Bautista, Irving Vencedores en Cristo in East Dallas and at
Bill Harrod Memorial Church in West Dallas for three years. After the interim pastorates he and Aida joined First Baptist Church of Urbandale to be closer to home. Jesse saw the opportunity to start a Spanish Sunday School class and the Pastor Causey Gram agreed. Primera Iglesia Bautista de Urbandale was the result of a growing Sunday School class. The group became a church in 2014.
The years after retirement also included Mission trips with International Commission to Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela Colombia and Ecuador. In the sixties and seventies he participated in national evangelistic crusades in Peru and Bolivia in South America and Panama with Evangelismo a Fondo (Evangelism in Depth) based in Costa Rica in Central America. He also had the privilege of spending several weeks in the Dominican Republic as singer for a Hispanic arm of the Billy Graham Association.
Throughout his ministry he participated in the work of Convencion Bautista Hispana. He was Director of Music for the Hispanic Convention several times, at the Hispanic Senior Adult Camp held annually at Alto Frio Baptist Encampment. He was choir and music director several times also.
In 2016 Jesse and a few other pastors were honored by the Hispanic Baptist Convention for fifty plus years of service to the Kingdom of God. He never ceased to pray.
Jesse is preceded in death by his parents, his son, Jonathan and many aunts, uncles and cousins, He is survived by his wife of 64 years, his daughter Leticia Denise Morales, son Arnold Jesse Morales and wife Deanna of Dallas Texas, daughter Sonya Stephens and husband Fred of Sierra Madre, CA, six grandchildren, Victoria Arning and husband Christopher from Celina, Texas, Chase Fowler and wife Ashley from Denver, CO, Nick Fowler of McKinney, Texas, Jessica Theissen and husband Kelly of Big Bend, CA, Joshua Morales and wife Jessica of the Woodlands, Tx, Jennifer Ferrans and husband Ross of Richardson, Tx. Eight great grand children who loved and will miss their grandpa: Kolby Arning, Elexa Arning, Alissa Fowler, Veyda Fowler, Wolfgang Theissen, Lyralee Theissen, Chance Fowler and David Morales. He is also survived by a brothers Rudy and wife Elva Morales, Charlie of Houston and sisters, Irene Meyer and husband Earl of Houston and sister Elizabeth Perez of Dallas and many nieces and nephews and cousins.
The Morales family would like to extend their gratitude for comfort and support received from many pastors and friends as we mourn our beloved husband, father brother, uncle, grandfather great grand father and friend Special thanks to Juan Valdovinor who called daily visited him frequently and often took him just to get some fresh air. A week before he passed, Juan too him to West Dallas to see two of the churches he had served: Calvario and Bill Harrod Memorial. He was so happy that day. Thank You Juan!
In leu of flowers the Morales family is asking for donations to be sent to the following ministries:
International Commission, 260 Continental Dr. Lewisville, Texas 75067
Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc, P.O. Box 628211, Orlando, Fl 32862-8211
Mercy Ships P.O. Box 1930 Garden Valley, Tx. 75771-1930
Deeper Life Ministries 1821 Clover Lane, Fort Worth, Tx 76107
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