William Wade Jernigan

March 4, 1935 - January 28, 2022

William Wade Jernigan Jr. was born on March 4, 1935, in Savannah, Georgia, to William Wade Jernigan Sr. and Lucille Smith Jernigan. He died on January 28, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother David Jernigan, sisters LaVonne Gray and Iris Goad, and his first wife, Juanita Darlene Jernigan. He is survived by his wife Patricia Phillips Jernigan, daughters Lisa Bain (Skipper) and Julie Cole (David), grandchildren Hannah Bemis (Jordan), Abigail Chappell (Jeremy), Laura Latta (Darek), Jordan Egstad (Emma), William Cole (Alexa), Deborah Pritchett (Derek), Garrett Bain (Hannah), and Kerrigan Bain, and seven great-grandchildren. William (Bill) grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and was a member of his local Nazarene church. After graduating from Hume-Fogg Technical High School in 1953, he enrolled in Trevecca Nazarene College and prepared for pastoral ministry. While there he met fellow student Juanita, and they were married in December 1956. Bill graduated from Trevecca with his A.B. in Religion in 1957, serving as Student Council President. He and Juanita moved to Kansas City, where Bill enrolled in Nazarene Theological Seminary in 1957. He pastored in Gunn City, Missouri during seminary, and graduated with his divinity degree. In 1960 he and Juanita returned to Nashville, where Bill pursued a master’s degree in library sciences at Peabody College (Vanderbilt University). He earned his master’s degree and began serving as the Director of Library Services at Trevecca. Daughters Julie and Lisa were born during this season. In 1965, Bill read about a new university that was being launched in Tulsa by evangelist Oral Roberts. A librarian position was open, and Bill traveled to Tulsa to interview for the post. He was hired, and remained a full-time administrator at Oral Roberts University from its founding in 1965 to his retirement in 2017. During those 52 years, Bill maintained leadership over the growing library and all learning resources as Director, and then Dean, and then Vice President. He earned his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Tulsa in educational administration. For several years in the 1990s, he also served the university as Academic Dean. He was the coordinator for the first 50 ORU commencement services, and also coordinated the 1967 ORU dedication service with evangelist Billy Graham, at which Oral Roberts was inaugurated as ORU’s first president. For over a decade he oversaw ORU’s international teaching locations in England, Sweden, Nigeria and elsewhere, traveling extensively to diverse locations. He also was engaged in the work of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, traveling to many nations of the world assisting both Oral and Richard Roberts in evangelistic and healing meetings. Bill and his family were faithful members of Nazarene churches in several states, and in Tulsa were members of First United Methodist Church for many decades. After his wife Juanita’s struggle with cancer led to her homegoing in 2013, Bill married Patricia in the fall of 2014, and they were blessed with over seven years of married life together. In addition to his ongoing love and devotion to his daughters and their families, Bill embraced his relationships with Patricia’s family, including sons Todd and Scott Phillips, and their spouses and children. From his boyhood Bill loved to figure out how things worked. He was a resourceful do-it-yourselfer, and was fascinated by the latest in technology (which later served him well throughout his development of ORU’s library, including his innovative Dial-Access Information Retrieval System in the 1970s). He loved purchasing cars, TVs, watches or computers with the latest technology available, being a true early adopter. He loved train travel, and was a blessing to Amtrak over the years. He was an armchair theologian, and was devoted to the ORU Titans/Golden Eagles basketball and baseball teams, feeling deeply the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Bill’s loved ones fondly remember his devotion to them as a fierce provider and protector, and as someone who consistently invested in their wellbeing through every season of life. He loved his work at ORU, which he considered a high calling. He counted it a great privilege to serve all four presidents in ORU’s history, and he loved and was devoted to all of the staff that served under and alongside him. Bill was committed to reaching the world for Jesus Christ, and loved nothing more than to be in ministry settings praying for the salvation and healing of those he came into contact with. He was proud of all of his children and grandchildren, and delighted in the great-grandchildren who came along in later years. The family invites all who are interested to attend a viewing on Friday, February 4 from 1:00-3:00pm at Floral Haven Funeral Home & Crematory, 6500 S 129th E Ave., Broken Arrow, OK. Also, condolences or memories can be offered on the Obituary page at https://www.floralhaven.com/. The family will celebrate other services privately. In lieu of flowers persons are invited to make donations to Lisa Bain Ministries at this link: https://lnkd.in/ectKEYCG. Checks can be mailed to Lisa Bain Ministries 9447 E 77 St. Tulsa, OK. 74133. Care boxes for patients will go out in memory of William Jernigan. Donations are tax deductible.