Joe B. Scruggs' Obituary
Joe B. Scruggs, 78, went to heaven on July 26, 2025, after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Joe is survived by his son, Todd Scruggs, and his wife, Beth; his grandchildren, Maggie and Andrew Scruggs; his brother Jan Scruggs, and his wife, Sandy; his brother Jim Roy, and wife, Mary; his brother-in-law Glenn Sumner; his nephews Scott, Jody, Kyle, and Stewart; and his nieces Jennifer, Beth, and Claire. Joe is now reunited in heaven with his beloved wife of 52 years, Margie Elizabeth Scruggs; his son, Wade Wright Scruggs; his parents, Joe and Jesse Faye Scruggs; and his sister, Judi Sumner.
Joe was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 4, 1947. After graduating from Hall High School, he attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and then went to work for Young Life, starting a career in ministry that would last for the rest of his life. During his time with Young Life, he worked with high school kids in Little Rock, Memphis, Kansas City, and Tulsa. While in Little Rock, he met and married Margie in 1972. They moved to Tulsa with Young Life in 1979 and lived in the same house in Jenks, Oklahoma, for 45 years.
After leaving Young Life, Joe got his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and served in counseling roles (either full time or as part of his other duties) for the rest of his career. Joe and Margie began attending Redeemer Covenant Church in 1995, and Joe took a full time ministry position there in 2006. He was the Senior Pastor at Redeemer from 2010 to 2014, and was ordained as pastor in the Covenant Church in 2012. He fully retired from the ministry at Redeemer in 2023.
Joe spent his life serving the Lord, whether directly in ministry, in counseling, or in everyday acts of kindness and encouragement. He had a servant’s heart, and his devotion to others was evident — he always had time for everyone and he touched many lives. He consistently sought the Lord’s guidance in all his actions, right up until the end of his life. He had a wonderful sense of humor, loved being around others, and always wanted to stay engaged with those around him, even as his disease advanced (one of his last studies was held at his house, and focused on C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia, which he loved).
Joe would be the first to say that his hope, in life, and now death, would be to honor God. His family is thankful for all the prayers, support, and help over the past months and years. Their hope is the same as his: To honor our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They are so grateful to have had such wonderful examples in Joe and
Margie.
Memorials can be made to the Young Life Wade Scruggs Memorial Fund (Stillwater Young Life, PO Box 1121, Stillwater, OK, 74076) or to the Redeemer Church Missions Fund (redeemertulsa.org).
Celebration Of Life Service will be 1:30 PM, Saturday, August 2, 2025, at Redeemer Church.
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