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The Rev. Larry K. Etherton was dedicated to his ministry. During his work at Union Baptist Church in Mexico, Mo., he promised the congregation that if it reached a certain number of members, he would deliver his sermon from the top of the church.
"He was afraid of heights, but he got up there and preached on the roof," his son Robbie Etherton said. "They even moved the pews outside Ñ and the piano." The Rev. Etherton, formerly of Hallsville, died Saturday, March 3, 2007, in Kirkwood. He was 63.
He was born May 6, 1943, in Brookfield to Orville and Helen Etherton. He graduated from Breckenridge High School and later married his high school sweetheart, Ruthie Eddings, on March 24, 1962.
The Rev. Etherton was the first person in his family to get a college degree when he graduated from Hannibal-LaGrange College, after first attending Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. He served in the Navy aboard the USS Forrestal from 1962 to 1966.
The Rev. Etherton was the pastor of Hallsville Baptist Church from 1977 to 1988. He also ministered at Hickory Baptist Church in Iberia, Rockville Baptist Church in Rockville, and Union Baptist Church.
The Rev. Etherton "was very proud to have a grandson, Larry K. Etherton, named after him," his wife said. Fishing was one of his hobbies, and he went on special trips with each of his grandchildren. "Daddy took every grandkid to catch their first fish," his son said. He also said his father enjoyed talking with family and friends. "He called his grandkids every day, I talked to him three times a day, and if he wasn't talking to me, he was talking to his best buddy, Robert Shrum," he said.
The Rev. Etherton is survived by his wife; a daughter, Annette Bradley, of St. Peters; three sons, Kenneth Etherton, of Fallbrook, Calif., Robbie Etherton, of Paris, Mo., and Todd Etherton, of Kaiser; 14 grandchildren; and one great-grandson. His parents; two brothers, Jack Etherton and Leonard Etherton; and a sister, Carol Walker, died earlier.
Services, conducted by the Rev. Jerry Olstrum, will be at 10 a.m. today at Pitts Funeral Home, 715 W. Grant St., Breckenridge. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery in Breckenridge.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Rev. Larry K. Etherton Memorial Fund, c/o Lindley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 47, Chillicothe, MO 64601.
The obituary obtained from www.columbiamissourian.comType: Public Announcement
Date: 2007-03-05
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