Jerry Wayne Lemon, Sr.

Jerry Wayne Lemon, Sr. of Waxahachie, Texas, went to be with the Lord on Dec. 8, 2023, at the age of 88. A graveside service was held at Laurel Oaks Memorial Park in Mesquite, Texas, on Dec. 12, 2023, at 10 a.m.

Jerry was born in Lorenzo, Texas, on April 25, 1935, to Lawrence Oliver and Alta (Eaves) Lemon. In 1942, he moved with his parents and four siblings to Slaton. At age sixteen, he dedicated his life to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. After graduating early from high school, he attended Baylor University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts. While there, he met Martha Durr at a tent revival service where he was preaching and she was playing the piano. They married on Dec. 31, 1956. He and Martha then moved to Fort Worth, where he earned a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary. After serving as a full-time pastor for five years, Jerry returned to Baylor and obtained his Doctorate of Philosophy in Theology. Jerry served part-time at several churches while pursuing his degrees, including First Baptist Church Woodway and Valley Creek Baptist Church. He was a fulltime pastor at First Baptist Churches in Ganado, Chilton, Groesbeck, and Seymour. He also pastored at Garden Oaks Baptist Church in Houston. In 1991, he stepped out in faith and became an author and editor at the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board(Lifeway) in Nashville, Tennessee. He also pastored at Mill Creek Baptist Church. After fifteen years, he and Martha retired to Waxahachie. They joined First Baptist Waxahachie, and he was asked to serve as Senior Adult Minister, a position he held until 2019.

Jerry and Martha traveled to fifty-five countries, often on evangelistic missions, and made many friends worldwide. Jerry was a lifelong learner who enjoyed sharing nightly ice cream with his grandkids. Martha went to heaven on June 25, 2011. Jerry married Mary Helen Moon in 2012, who died in 2020. His parents and siblings Carol Scroggins and Bob Lemon preceded him in death. Jerry is survived by siblings Nelda Norris and Larry Lemon; children Wayne Lemon and wife Becky, Cheryl Allen and husband Doug, and Brent Lemon; and grandchildren Meredith and Gage Allen, Bryn and Aynsley Lemon, and Mia Lemon.

Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz. org.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18