Dr. Dudley Denton Sumrall A Memorial Service to celebrate the life of Dr. Dudley Denton Sumrall will be held Wednesday, June 13, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. at Russell Baptist Church, with Dr. John Wallace, Dr. Jerry Haughton, Reverend Charles Mullis and Reverend Steve Taylor officiating. Burial will be in Old Marion Cemetery with Robert Barham Family Funeral Home in charge of the arrangements. Dr. Dudley Denton Sumrall passed away at the age of sixty-eight on June 9, 2012, after a short and fierce battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a native of Meridian, Mississippi. Dr. Denton lived a full life in service to the Lord. He surrendered to the call of ministry at the young age of fourteen and pastored churches in Northern and Central Florida for over thirty years. Over the past five years he served locally to churches in the greater Meridian area as a guest pastor. He was an active member of the Lauderdale County Baptist Association. Dr. Denton was a graduate of Mississippi College, and he received his Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He retired from the Florida Army National Guard as a Lt. Colonel and Chaplain after thirty years of dedication. His passion and gifts collided most recently in his heart for missions. As founder and Director of S.E.A. Mission, he touched countless lives over sixteen years leading church mission trips to the Bahama Islands. In addition to his ministry there, his travels took him to the San Blas Islands in Panama, Indonesia, Belize, Guatemala, and Khazakstan. Denton possessed a zeal for life and loved learning new skills. Over the course of his life, his pursuits included bee keeping, ham radio, wood working, hunting, fishing, and diving. A Champion and rock for his family, Denton is survived by his wife Carol of forty-six years, his children Austin Sumrall, Hope Sumrall Parker and Wesley Sumrall, and four grandchildren, George Parker III, Jacob Sumrall, Madelynn Parker, and Chloe Sumrall. He also leaves behind a niece Allison Rice Hall and nephew Brad Rice. He is preceded in death by his father Dudley Sumrall, his mother Ida Mae, and sister Martha. He leaves an indelible mark on each of our lives. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made in his memory to the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation. Family and friends may sign the online guest book at robertbarhamffh.com Visitation will be held Tuesday, June 12, 2012, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home.
