Roy Lynn Bebee

Roy Lynn Bebee, 70, died on July 14, 2018 at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado after a two-year battle with colon cancer. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Barbara, their four children—Elissa Long (Matt) of Colorado Springs, Troy Bebee (Bronwyn) of Melbourne, Australia, Trisha DeYoung (Kevin) of Charlotte, North Carolina, and William Bebee (Kristin) of Lexington, South Carolina—and 19 grandchildren. Roy is also survived by his sister Donna (Oklahoma City, OK) and his brothers Ron (Tulsa, OK) and Larry (Sarasota, FL).

Roy was born in Enid, Oklahoma on October 2, 1947, the third child of W.R. and Doris Bebee. After graduating from Enid High School in 1965, Roy attended the University of Oklahoma and Evangel College. He graduated with a B.A. degree in Philosophy and Religion in 1969. He married Barbara Carlson, of Marquette, Nebraska on December 30, 1972. Roy and Barbara met in Deerfield, Illinois where Barbara was attending Trinity College and Roy was enrolled at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). Roy received his Master of Divinity (M.Div) from TEDS in 1973 and later earned his Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (South Hamilton, MA) in 1996.

Roy was ordained in 1976 with the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) and pastored two churches, first in Chico, California and then in Sacramento. In 1978, Roy received a call to serve his country as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. While assigned to Amphibious Group One in Little Creek, VA, Chaplain Bebee’s unit was deployed for Desert Storm (1990-1991) in the Persian Gulf. Roy was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon and the Navy Meritorious Service Medal (5th Award) during this tour. A highlight of this service was organizing and speaking for a Thanksgiving Worship Service in November 1990 where guests included President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush, members of Congress and the Cabinet, as well as General H. Norman Schwarzkopf.

As Director of the Chaplain Religions Enrichment Development Operation (CREDO), a retreat ministry for military personnel, Chaplain Bebee had overall supervision of more than 150 retreats that focused on marriage enrichment, spiritual disciplines, and personal growth. He was promoted to Captain (O6) in 1990. Captain Bebee served a total of 33 years and retired from the Navy in 2004. Roy continued his ministry by serving 11 years as Director of Chaplain Ministries and Endorsing for the EFCA with administrative and denominational responsibilities to 240 chaplains and candidates. Since 2014, Roy worked with Marketplace Chaplains, sharing God’s love in the workplace with employees of companies and organizations in the greater Colorado Springs area. Roy also served in various capacities as a member of Austin Bluffs Evangelical Free Church.

Roy’s hobbies included reading, hunting, golf, crossword puzzles, woodworking, and cheering for the Oklahoma Sooners. In 2016, he published An Ordinary Family, Extraordinary Times: A Look at the Beebe/Bebee Family History 1535-2015. Roy leaves behind a legacy of laughter, a commitment to his family and his country, and, above all, a devotion to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

A public visitation will be held 10:00 AM on Saturday, July 21 at Austin Bluffs Evangelical Free Church. The funeral service will follow at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one or more of the following:

Marketplace Chaplains

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, IL)

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (South Hamilton, MA)

Austin Bluffs Evangelical Free Church (Colorado Springs, CO)

Evangel College (Springfield, MO)