Portrait of Vestal Blakely. IMB Photo
Vestal Nelson Blakely, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel in Tanzania, died Oct. 28, 2024. He was 87.
Vestal was born July 3, 1937, in Madill, Oklahoma, to the late Frank N. Blakely and Winnie L. Blakely. He graduated from Idalou High School in Texas; received the Bachelor of Science and the Master of Education from Texas Technological College (now University) in Lubbock; and attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
He came to faith in Christ during a spring revival in 1948. While seeking missionary appointment, Vestal recounted several close calls with death while growing up – including a gasoline explosion, a fall from a horse, and a car accident. At the time, he wondered why God spared his life.
In his senior year of high school, Vestal became engaged to Carol Jean Faulkner, and they married on Dec. 22, 1956. While seeking missionary appointment, Vestal wrote, “Since late 1955 I had felt that God wanted me to serve as a missionary. I kept saying that I could not do this.”
However, during a September revival in 1963, Vestal and Carol Jean made public their decision to serve God anywhere He called them to go. Vestal wrote, “It had taken me several years, many hours of prayer, and finally a complete surrender to God’s will. … It was at this time that I realized why God had carried me through some close contacts with death.”
In 1969, the International Mission Board appointed Vestal and Carol Jean missionaries to Tanzania. Vestal worked at the Baptist Community Center as a teacher and educator and served as a station evangelist. He served with the IMB for 32 years.
Vestal is preceded in death by his son, Ricky Nelson Blakely.
He is survived by Carol Jean, his wife of 67 years; two children; five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
A funeral service was held Nov. 23 at First Baptist Church in Idalou.
Read an obituary here.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Lottie Moon Offering, IMB, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230, or online at Generosity Resource Center – IMB Generosity.