Roy Samuel LeTourneau's Obituary
LeTourneau, Roy Samuel, age 85, of Rowlett, Texas passed away peacefully in his home Wednesday morning, October 15, 2014. Roy was a big man and lived life in a big way in everything he did and accomplished. Dr. Roy LeTourneau was a son of the famed industrialist and inventor R.G. LeTourneau. Roy and his wife, Shirley, lived in Peru for eight years building roads and developing jungle land on the headwaters of the Amazon River, founding the town of Tournavista. In 1973, Roy and missionary friend, Ken Opperman, developed a unique missions strategy for church planting and evangelism that began with a church of 180 in Lima, Peru and grew of to over 1,500 in one year and now has multiplied to over 70 churches with tens of thousands in attendance throughout Peru. The Encounter with God strategy has been duplicated in ten other Latin American capitals and has launched over 90 thriving churches. Returning to the U.S., he and his brother Ben founded the LeTourneau Tractor Company in Orlando, FL, which grew to be the largest John Deere dealership in the world. In Rockwall, Texas he spent several years as a developer and builder. Roy and Shirley traveled all over the world where Roy, through Christian Business Men’s Committee (CBMC), shared the story of what Jesus Christ had done in his life and was privileged to be used by God to lead many men to Christ through this ministry. Roy and Shirley loved travelling by motorhome and visited almost every state and province in the U.S. and Canada. They also loved spending time in their second home in Sun City, Arizona and cherished their friendships there. Roy is a graduate of the University of North Texas and was honored with a Doctor of Laws degree from Warner Pacific College. Roy was born April 29, 1929 in Stockton, California and was welcomed into eternity by his Savior on October 15, 2014 in Rowlett, Texas. Preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Shirley Stanfield LeTourneau, his parents, Robert Gilmore LeTourneau and Evelyn Peterson LeTourneau, and by his brothers Donald LeTourneau, Richard LeTourneau and Ted LeTourneau. Survived by his four children, Brenda LeTourneau Nale and her husband Dan, Nancy Jean LeTourneau, Donald Roy LeTourneau and his wife Chooky and Randall Allen LeTourneau and his wife Pam, by his four grandchildren Kara Joy LeTourneau, Andrew Robert LeTourneau, Katherine Grace LeTourneau, and Anna Christine LeTourneau, his two step-grandchildren Heidi McIntosh Bright and Danielle McIntosh, and by his sister Louise Dick, his sister-in-laws Louise LeTourneau and Joyce LeTourneau, and his brother, business partner, and best friend Ben LeTourneau and wife Bettye. Roy’s family will receive friends on Friday, October 17, 2014 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at Restland Funeral Home, 13005 Greenville Ave, Dallas, Texas 75243. A memorial service for Roy will be held on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 2:30 PM at Lake Highlands Baptist Church at 642 Brookhurst Dr., Dallas, Texas 75218, where his life and service will be honored. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75238 In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Roy S. LeTourneau Memorial Fund at Church Ministries International (www.churchministries.org) at 2001 West Plano Parkway, Suite 3100, Plano Texas 75075.
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