Reverend Andrew Walter Ragan, 70, of McDonough, Georgia, passed away on March 2, 2021 after a series of heart problems. Andrew was born on June 26, 1950 in Bradenton, Florida. His mother was Doris Virginia Ragan and his father was Arthur “Buddy” Leroy Ragan. Andrew was the second oldest of five children, and his family moved from Florida to Forest Park, Georgia in 1955. He graduated from Forest Park High School in 1968, and earned an Associate in Arts degree in psychology at DeKalb College in 1971 while working for Sears, Roebuck and Co. He married Daisy Elizabeth Joyce in 1973, and they had two sons, Robert Andrew Ragan and Christopher Arthur Ragan. As a young father, Andrew enjoyed hunting, fishing, playing in his band called “Him and All of Us,” riding his bike, and running (he ran the Peachtree Road Race twice). He worked for the United States Postal Service as a mailman while attending seminary at night. He started in the ministry as a youth pastor in Clayton County, Georgia at Conley Baptist Church, Calvary Baptist Church, and Second Baptist Forest Park. As a youth pastor he enjoyed writing and collaborating to create original songs and plays for the youth to perform. He was ordained into the ministry in 1981 and graduated with an Associate of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1984. Andrew accepted his first full-time position as a pastor at Sharon Baptist Church in Ola, Georgia, and he served the congregation there for five years. During his time at Sharon Baptist he published a book called “A Case of Casual Christianity”. He was the founding pastor of Eastside Baptist Church on Keys Ferry Road in Ola, Georgia, and he served the congregation there for 20 years. In his retirement, Andrew enjoyed gardening, making pancakes for his grandchildren, fishing on Anna Maria Island in Florida and watching television with no commercials. He particularly enjoyed volunteering along with his wife, Daisy, on mission trips with Constructors for Christ, a ministry that helps church planters in America build and repair church buildings. Andrew was preceded in death by his father, Buddy Ragan, his father-in-law, Robert Joyce, and his brother, Randy Ragan. He is survived by his wife, Daisy Ragan, his mother, Doris Ragan, his mother-in-law, Rheba Joyce, his sons, Robi Ragan (T.J.) and Chris Ragan (Anne), his grandchildren, Flannery Elizabeth Ragan and Abraham Baines Ragan, his sisters, Sharon Ragan Goza (Wayne) and Cindy Ragan Adair (Ed), his brother, Jeff Ragan, his sister-in-law Kathy Lunsford (Mark), and many beloved nieces, nephews, and in-laws.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to:
Constructors for Christ, Inc.
℅ Gail Rush
342 Booker Rd.
Summerville, GA 30747
Indicate: “In Memory of Andrew Ragan”
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