Samuel Adrian Rolfe (1930 - 2016)

Born 6 Apr 1930 in Forrest City, St. Francis, Arkansas, United States

Ancestors

Died 31 Jan 2016 at age 85 in Collierville, Shelby, Tennessee, United States

Biography

Mr. Samuel Adrian Rolfe, II was born April 6, 1930 in Forrest City, AR and went to be with his Lord on January 31, 2016 at the Baptist Reynolds Hospice House in Collierville, TN. He was married to Christy Ann Mashburn on October 13, 1951 at Calvary Baptist Church in Forrest City where his father was one of the Founders. He is survived by his three daughters and sons-in-law: Bill and Christy (Rolfe) Horne; Tim and Patti Ann (Rolfe) Purselley; and Daniel (Speck) and Jeannie Adrian (Rolfe) Espey. He was also lovingly known as “Poppa” to his eleven (11) grandchildren and ten (10) great-grandchildren.

Mr. Rolfe was raised in West Point, Mississippi. He attended Gulf Coast Military Academy and graduated in 1948. He pursued higher education at both Ole Miss and then State Teachers College in Conway, AR. After a time he began his career in agriculture by farming cotton and soybeans and showing Santa Gertrudis cattle. He had the privilege of owning and showing a five (5) time National Grand Champion Bull, known as “Perfection Rol”. He also sold real estate and was a Hotel Broker for many years. He enjoyed living his last two years at the Germantown Plantation in Collierville, TN where he made many good friends.

Mr. Rolfe’s greatest passions in life were his love of Christ, his wife Christy (the love of his life) and his family. He was an avid quail hunter, fisherman, tennis player and golfer. He even became a snow skier in his fifties and loved skiing with his children and grandchildren. When he was not outdoors fishing or playing golf with his friends, sons-in-law, or grandchildren, you could find him reading books by Charles Spurgeon, R.C. Sproul, Philip Yancy or Randy Alcorn (to name just a few) and studying faithfully for teaching his next Sunday school class.

Mr. Rolfe was actively involved in many Christian ministries. This was accomplished through his financial support as well as both full and part-time work. Some of those ministries included Bible Memory Association (BMA) where he was an effective leader and camp director. He was a founder of Calvary Christian School in Forrest City, AR. He served as Special Assistant to Bill Bright, founder and president of Campus Crusade for Christ. He traveled the country obtaining funding for the development and distribution of “The Jesus Film Project.” This project has been arguably the most effective tool to present the story of Jesus throughout the world in helping to fulfill Jesus’ command in Mark 16:15 to “Go into all the world, and proclaim the good news to everyone”.

Some of his most personal love and support was of his longtime missionary friends, Richard and Yvonne Courtney, who were missionaries in Japan, Mexico, and who are now actively ministering to international students on college campuses. He was an Elder at Calvary Baptist Church and a Deacon and Sunday school teacher at First Baptist Church, both in Forrest City, AR.

“Mr. Sam” (as he was often called) was a source of wisdom in the community and a committed friend to many, although none of which were as dear to him as his best friends in Forrest City: Ted and Sally Parker, and dale and Tricia Morris.

Mr. Rolf’s funeral, or Home Going (as he called it) will be celebrated Saturday, February 6th, 2016 at the First Baptist Church at 10:30 AM in Forrest City, AR. All of his friends are warmly invited to share in the celebration of his life and of his recent birth into that place where he will be a permanent resident and citizen forever. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #185459635