Charles Alvin Rev. Tope, Sr.

"…Glad did I live and gladly die, and I laid me down with a will…Here shall be rest for evermore, and the heart for aye shall be still…This be the verse you grave for me; Here he lies where he longed to be; home is the sailor, home from the sea, and the hunter home from the hill." (Robert Louis Stevenson)

Rev. Charles Alvin Tope, Sr. went to Heaven on December 13, 2015. He was 89 years old. He was an humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as a proud and patriotic Word War II Navy Veteran who served on the Battleship North Carolina. He will be greatly missed by his loving family, especially his wife, LaVerne, to whom he was married for more the 66 years. Charles was a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Topes served as Career Missionaries with the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board for almost 30 years in East Africa (Tanganyika/Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya). Charles also pastored churches in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Nairobi, Kenya. He then served for almost fifteen years on the staff of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Charles will also be missed by his daughter, Cindy and her husband, Dr. Jim Jensen; his three much-loved grandchildren, Joelle, Lacey and Collin; and two great-grandchildren, Ashley and Bennett. His daughter, Noelle and her husband, Mark Merritt will also miss him very much. His wife and family members here look forward to seeing him again in Heaven one day.

He is reunited in Heaven with his sons, Chuck and Howard, as well as his sisters, Emma Katherine and Mary Lee, his parents and multitudes of other family members, missionary and church colleagues, and friends from all over the world.

Charles wanted Jesus Christ to be glorified in his life and in his death. He had much of the Bible memorized and loved to share it with others. His life Bible verse was Psalm 84:11, which says,

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." Other Scripture favorites included Isaiah 25:8-9, John 11:25, Psalm 46 and 91 and Job 19:25-27. Charles was an intelligent, funny, wise, and wonderful man who loved to travel, hunt, fish, swim and read. He also loved sports. He invested his life in people, and wanted everyone to have a personal relationship with the Savior he served.

GRAVESIDE SERVICE

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015

10:15 A.M.

FORT SAM HOUSTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

1520 HARRY WURZBACH RD.

Memorial gifts can be made to the International Mission Board (Southern Baptist Convention), Richmond, VA., designated to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.