Ronny Barner: Celebration of Life

Dear Church Family,

Our Pastor Emeritus, Ronny W. Barner, went to be with the Lord on April 3. Ronny and his wife, Ruth, served on our church staff for more than fifty years in a variety of roles. Primarily, Ronny was the Minister of Music and Administration, retiring from that role in 1999. When Ronny came to West University Baptist Church, he came as the Minister of Music and Youth. After his retirement in 1999, Ronny re-joined the staff in the role of Senior Adult Pastor and served faithfully in this role. He also became Pastor Emeritus after Dr. Fowler died.

We will host a special memorial service for Ronny on Saturday, May 4 at 10:30am in the West U Baptist sanctuary. A reception will follow at 12:15pm, and soon after that will be a special program honoring Ronny with songs and stories.

Ronny William Barner, 90, passed away on April 3, 2024, in The Woodlands, Texas. He was born on August 1, 1933, in Tyler to parents James Clyde and Delilah Alvarez Barner. Ronny was a graduate of Tyler Senior High and East Texas Baptist College. He also served as a corporal in the United States Army during the Korean conflict, where he directed an Army Choir.
 
After his military service, Ronny served as the Music Minister at Park Temple Baptist Church in Houston, Texas for two years. It was there that he met and married his soulmate, Ruth Ann Moody. In 1960, Ronny enrolled in Southwestern Seminary and served two years as Minister of Music and Education at the First Baptist Church of Grapevine.
 
After he graduated from the seminary, Ronny was called by Dr. W. LeRay Fowler to serve at West University Baptist Church in Houston, Texas in 1962, where he dedicated sixty-two years of his life. Throughout his tenure, Ronny served as Minister of Music and Youth, Minister of Music and Administration, Minister to Senior Adults, and finally Pastor Emeritus. He was also honored with an Honorary Doctorate from East Texas Baptist University.
 
Ronny is survived by his wife, Ruth, his daughter, Bari, his son, Blake, his grandchildren, Barbara, Beverly, Brandon, and Brooklyn, his four great-grandchildren, and his brother, James Donald.
 
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:30am on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at West University Baptist Church in Houston. Memorial donations can be made to the Ronny Barner Music Scholarship c/o

West University Baptist Church
6218 Auden Street
Houston, TX 77401
 
or through PayPal at:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SG67Y555CDV76  

or you scan this QR code:

As we look forward to celebrating the life of a great man of God, we are planning to celebrate a great two years of our Deep & Wide Generosity Initiative. More details still to come, but Sunday, May 19 will be Deep & Wide Day, an all-church, joint worship service at Houston Christian University. Please mark your physical or digital calendar for this special morning where we will all gather as one church family, worshiping, praising, and celebrating our God and His blessings and vision together.

We'll see you on Sunday, Church Family! If you are unable to attend, or you'd like to share the service with someone farther away, you can join us via the app, on our livestreams page, or at youtube.com/cityriseorg.


Stay Expectant,
Pastor Roger