B. Heather Olford

Heather Olford, wife of the late Dr. Stephen Olford, passed away on Saturday morning, December 21, 2013, at the age of 89. Barbara Heather Brown was born in Lurgan, Northern Ireland on March 2, 1924. Heather was the eldest daughter of Cecil and Barbara Brown. She had two sisters, Lilian and Grace, and one brother, William (Billy), who have all preceded her to Glory. Heather surrendered her life fully to the Lord as a teenager, and was involved in Christian service and ministry throughout her life. Heather, a gifted pianist, married Stephen F. Olford in 1948 and for 56 years they lived, loved, and ministered together. They served in evangelism and convention ministry in the early years and then in pastoral ministry in both London and New York City (1953-1973).

In 1985, Dr. and Mrs. Olford moved to Memphis, with their son David, to develop a training program and Center to encourage and equip preachers and teachers of God’s Word. In 1988, the Stephen Olford Center for Biblical Preaching was dedicated. Dr. Stephen Olford passed away in 2004, and in 2007 Olford Ministries International and Union University began a partnership.

Heather Olford stayed active in ministry and church life in Memphis for all 28 years. She was a member of Bellevue Baptist Church. She served on various Boards, including Olford Ministries International, Crisis and Consultation Services International, and the Foundation Board of Union University. In her latter years she established The Stephen Olford Ministry Legacy Project, which serves under the umbrella of Global Ministries Fellowship (GMF).

She leaves behind her two sons, Dr. Jonathan Olford (Fresno, Cal.) and Dr. David Olford, their wives, Catherine and Ellen, and her five grandchildren, Jeremy, Justin, Joshua, Lindsay and Stephanie. She loved her family and will be greatly missed. She was committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, to the Word of God, to the work of the Holy Spirit, and worldwide ministry.

The Olford family cordially invites all family and friends to the visitation from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, the 2nd of January, at the Stephen Olford Center at Union University (4000 Riverdale Rd. Memphis, TN 38115). The Memorial Service will take place at Bellevue Baptist Church (2000 Appling Road, Cordova, TN 38016) at noon on Friday, January 3rd. All are welcome!

In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Mrs. Olford can be given to

GMF, 65 Germantown Court, Suite 409, Cordova, TN. 38018 or to The Stephen Olford Center, 4000 Riverdale Rd., Memphis, TN. 38115. All gifts will go towards the training of preachers and teachers of the Word of God.