Beryle Cleston Lovelace, 1928-2022
IMB Photo

Beryle Cleston Lovelace, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel in Japan, died Feb. 5, 2022. He was 93.

Beryle was born July 27, 1928, in Levelland, Texas, to the late Weaver Erasmus and Marie Taylor Lovelace. According to his family, Lovelace was called to God’s work early in life, working revival meetings with his dad all over West Texas and eastern New Mexico. He graduated from Morton (Texas) High School in 1945, after serving three years as choir director in the church where his father was pastor. He received the Bachelor of Arts from Howard Payne College (now University), Brownwood, Texas, and received the Master of Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas.

Beginning while still in college, Lovelace served as assistant pastor and music director at First Baptist Church Tucumcari, New Mexico, and then as music and education director for First Baptist Church, Dublin, Texas. There he met Elouise Roberts, and they married on June 12, 1952.

Lovelace was music and education director for Park Heights Baptist Church, San Angelo, Texas; music director at First Baptist Church, Okmulgee, Oklahoma; music director for First Baptist Church, Corsicana, Texas; and minister of music and education at First Baptist Church, Brownfield, Texas. While attending seminary, Lovelace served Bethany Baptist Church in Dallas.

While he served as minister of music and education at First Baptist Church, Littlefield, Texas, Beryle and Elouise visited Japan and felt called to the mission field. In 1965 the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board), employed them as missionary associates to Japan.

Their first assignment was to Kanto Plains Baptist Church, an English-speaking church in Tokyo, where Lovelace helped with music and education ministries and served a short time as interim pastor. From 1973 to 1976

Lovelace served as religious education and church music consultant for churches in the Tokyo area and as assistant to the business manager of the Japan Baptist Mission, Tokyo, Japan. In 1976 he began an extended stint as the Japan Baptist Mission Business Manager in downtown Tokyo.

Beryle and Elouise then moved to Okinawa and served as ministers of music and discipleship at Koza Baptist Church there. They retired in 1993 after serving 27 years.

Once stateside, Beryle and Elouise served part-time at Creekside Baptist Church in Richardson, Texas, from 1996 to 2012. From 1995 to 2019, Beryle travelled and sang with The Singing Men of Texas, a choir of music ministers from Baptist churches across Texas.

Lovelace is survived by his wife of 70 years, Elouise; their son Byron Lovelace (Gail); their daughter Laura Bracken (Michael); two grandsons; and two great grandchildren.

A funeral service was held Feb. 12, 2022, at Peters Funeral Home, Greenville, Texas.

Read an obituary here.