Dr. Rus Roach
Franklin, TN
Cleatis L. Roach, Jr., Christ follower and proclaimer of the Gospel, entered his eternal home on May 5, 2016 at the age of 64. He is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Debbie Cameron Roach; daughters, Holly (Gordon) Boutwell of Franklin, Heather (Jimmy) Hannabass of Clarksville, and Hailey Roach of Nashville. Rus was "Pops" to Lilley, Grace and Mason Boutwell; Hayden and Sterling Hannabass. Rus is also survived by his parents, Cleatis and Mary Ellen Roach, The Woodlands, TX; mother and father-in-law, John and Wanda Cameron, Houston, TX; sister, Pamela (Hugh) Sloan, Nashville; and brother, Jack (Karol) Roach, The Woodlands, TX.
Rus grew up in Houston, TX and was a member of Tallowood Baptist Church, where he was called and ordained to ministry as a junior in high school. He graduated from Baylor University and received a Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Seminary. He was pastor of LeVita Baptist Church, Gatesville, Texas; First Baptist Church Mineral Wells, Texas; Lone Camp Baptist Church, Palo Pinto, Texas; Belmont Baptist Church, Abilene, Texas, before being called in 1987 to pastor at First Baptist Church Nashville, where he loyally served for nearly 30 years.
During his First Baptist Nashville ministry, Rus helped thousands of people know God's love. Rus wrote and delivered over 1,000 sermons. He served in several capacities including Pastor for Missions, Senior Adults and Pastoral Care. Rus baptized over 75 people, and performed over 120 weddings and over 200 funerals for families bringing joy and comfort to each. Rus was a world-traveler for Christ, leading mission trips to Rome, Costa Rica, Rio de Janeiro, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and Canada to name a few. Rus always had time for others in need. Celebrate Recovery was a highlight of Rus's ministry as he gave every Friday evening for years to serve adults struggling with life's hurts, habits, and hang-ups. His church family loved him deeply, as he lived fully and brought everyone crossing his path towards Jesus Christ.
Rus loved his family deeply and enjoyed spending time with them. He also enjoyed collecting and reading books and Bible commentary.
To honor his life, his pastor and friend Dr. Frank Lewis will conduct a service at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 9, 2016 at First Baptist Church Nashville. The family will receive friends from 9:30 a.m. up until the time of the service.
Memorial contributions may be made to: First Baptist Church Nashville Missions Fund.
An online guestbook is available at AustinFuneralService.com 615-377-0775
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Mack McCormick (1970)
RIP
Michael Brandon Stone (1970)
I'm very sad to hear about the passing of Rusty. He was one of the kindest persons I have ever known. Since he went to the same church as my family, I knew him better from church activities (the few I was involved in!) than I did at school. When we were seniors he dropped by the house a few times to talk with me about getting more involved with church activities and attending more often than I did. At that time the last thing I was interested in was going to church (also a big concern for my mother), but I always appreciated his concern for me. In fact, I was very moved that he would take the time to worry about my spiritual well-being. I have few regrets for things I have done or not done in my life, but I do regret that I never told him how much I appreciated his concern for me. He was a better man than I could ever hope to be.