Rev. William Lucian Joiner III

The Rev. William Lucian Joiner III, 79, of Lenexa, Kan., passed away Friday morning, Dec. 14, 2007, at St. Luke’s Hospital South in Kansas surrounded by his loving family.

Bill, nicknamed “Dubby,” was born in Griffin on April 10, 1928, the first son of the late Sara Day McDowell and the late William Lucian Joiner II. He knew as a teenager that he wanted to be a minister and rehearsed his sermons in the fields to a congregation of cows. After graduating from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Rev. Joiner went to South India with the American Baptist Missions. His son, David Lucian, was born in India. The illness of his first wife, Betty, required their return to the United States. Their second child, Victoria Day, was born in New York. Several years after the death of Betty, he married Barbara Jane Maxwell of Toronto. They had two children, Lucia Jane, born in Atlanta, and Barbara Jill, born in Des Moines, Iowa. Rev. Joiner earned his doctorate from the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit. He pastored churches in Barren Run, Ky., Waumego, Okla., East Pembroke, N.Y., and Pella, Iowa, and retired from the ministry after 14 years at the First Baptist Church of Overland Park, Kan. Following retirement, he worked for Alban Institute and later started his own consulting business. For the past 10 years, he was a volunteer for the Greater Kansas City Red Cross. They honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He loved his family and friends, laughing and living, listening to music, reading English history and writing about the mysteries of belief. He was guided by his faith, lived with integrity and worked for justice.

He will be dearly missed by his wife, four children, their spouses, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, sister and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

Memorial services celebrating his life will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007, at the First Baptist Church of Kansas City, Mo. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Red Cross at 211 W. Armour Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64111, the First Baptist Church of KCMO or a charity of your choice.