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 Services for Ronald L. Dart, 82, of Tyler , Texas will be held, Wednesday, January 27, 2016, 2:30 p.m., at Stewart Family Funeral Home with Jonathan Garnant officiating.
Burial will follow at Whitehouse Memorial Cemetery in Whitehouse , Texas under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home.
Mr. Dart passed away Saturday, January 23, 2016, at his home in Tyler .
He was born January 7, 1934 in Harrison , Arkansas to Tildon and Eva Dart.
Out of a sense of duty and patriotism, Mr. Dart served his country four years during the Korean War in the Air Branch of the U.S. Navy, achieving the rank of First Class Petty Officer.
Ron Dart was the founder and president of Christian Educational Ministries and the voice of the international Born to Win radio program. He attended Hardin Simmons University , graduated from Ambassador College , and worked towards his PhD at The University of Texas at Austin . He was gifted with the ability to make a difficult subject clear and understandable and his knowledge of the Bible drew many listeners. He wrote 11 books on various Bible subjects. Born to Win will stay on the air and continue doing the work Mr. Dart began.
Ron Dart was preceded in death by his father, mother, and sister, Nana Williams.
He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 62 years, Allie.
Pallbearers will be Gary Gibbons, C. Rod Martin, John Currier, Willie Oxendine, Joshua Voyce, and John Beasley.
Visitation is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 26, at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway , Tyler .
Memorials may be made to Christian Educational Ministries, P.O. Box 560 , Whitehouse, 75791.
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LeRoy Diem (1960)
Allie’s Eulogy
by Allie Dart
Ronald L. Dart passed gracefully and quietly in his sleep early Sabbath morning, January 23, 2016 at the age of 82. God began Ron’s Sabbath rest without apparent suffering. I checked him throughout the night and he didn’t seem to be in pain. He just slipped away with no groaning, and apparently with little or no pain.
Ron has made his calling and election sure and left a matchless legacy. He is peacefully waiting the resurrection of the dead. I must qualify to join him at that time. I loved him so much and that love was always reciprocated.
Contrary to what many might have thought, it was not the head injury that took Ron’s life. For maybe 25 years he had cutaneous T-cell lymphoma—a very rare type of skin cancer. His dermatologist always told him that patients with that disease rarely died because of it, but something else. Ron was an exception to this rule.
Before that disease progressed, Ron was making slow but steady improvements from the head injury—walking with a cane, and even walking around the house required no additional support. We carried on normal conversations, went out to eat, to Sabbath services where he said the prayer and sang special music, to the office where he made the weekly promo that preceded the Friday night Bible study. This was truly the highlight of his week.
Ron still enjoyed life. He loved our beautiful tree-shaded neighborhood where we lived. He looked forward to seeing deer cross our property, squirrels chase each other up the trees, birds eating out of the feeder, butterflies getting nectar from the flowers, and raccoons on our deck begging for food. He often commented on how thankful he was that we lived where we did.
As you may know, Ron loved music—virtually every kind. His father sang bass in the Melody Four Gospel Quartet when Ron was a little boy. As Ron said, he learned to love God and Jesus Christ through Gospel music.
After Ron fell and had such a debilitating head injury, surgery was required. Almost immediately after he was brought back to ICU he began singing Amazing Grace. At that point, he didn’t know my name, or what the Bible was, but he could praise God in song. I was amazed at the number of words to songs he remembered.
There were so many things Ron loved to do, but was unable to do after his fall. Things that occupied his time more than anything else were: listening to CDs of his sermons and broadcasts and the Bible read on CDs, and singing. At first he didn’t recognize that he was hearing his own voice and would say, Ron’s heart seemed to be overflowing with love for God. Since he was unable to deliver a sermon, he could, and did, sing about God’s love.
For the last almost six years, he was in and out of hospitals, ERs, and nursing homes. Our schedule was filled with doctor’s appointments. The past few months, I pushed his wheelchair with him and his oxygen into doctor’s offices and he would begin singing—usually Let the Lower Lights Be Burning or Amazing Grace. The staff and nurses loved it and would stop what they were doing to listen and tell him what a good voice he had. It was the talent he had left to be able to share the Gospel since he could no longer do it the way he once did. He did what he could do to the very end.
The nights before Ron passed, he was becoming unresponsive. I went into his room asking how he was doing and trying to stir a response. Then I began singing Let the Lower Lights Be Burning. I got to the chorus and he began harmonizing with me.
Ron sang special music and led in prayer a number of Sabbaths at our little fellowship group—usually Lower Lights or What a Friend We Have In Jesus. He wanted to be involved and contribute. He yearned to be back doing the work for God that he once did. And the last few weeks, he so wanted to make a recording for all of you to hear.
I feel Ron’s funeral was a real honor and tribute to his life. Mr. Jon Garnant and the three men who gave eulogies did a wonderful job telling Ron’s life story. I felt Ron would want a lot of music at his funeral— a representation of the different types of music he enjoyed was sung. I felt the message in I’ll Meet You In The Morning was a positive way to bring closure. It was a song his dad sang with the Melody Four Quartet.
Wind Beneath My Wings was for me. We had such a wonderful marriage. We loved each other more than life itself. Ron was so grateful for my love and care-giving and expressed it often. He was supportive of me and truly the We were a team meant for each other, as we often said. Thank God for such a wonderful relationship!
Ron’s internment at the Whitehouse Cemetery was one of the most poignant times of the day. Ron having been in the Navy for four years deserved the military honors of the presentation of the United States flag and Taps echoing across the landscape. It was a very meaningful part of Ron’s history and the day’s events.
Robin Connelly (1965)
This was one of my Dad's favorite hymns -- as he was a sailor in the U.S. Merchant Marine from 1934 - 1962. For those not familiar with the hymn: Let the Lower Lights Be Burning, here is the rendition by Tennessee Ernie Ford:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jq9sYx2mVI
Copy this to the address line of a browser and you should see and hear the song.
Jeany Todd (Gonzalez) (1972)
I wanted to hear Mr. Dart singing, but I can't find such a video
Stephen Martin (B W 1962)
Without doubt Ron was the best teacher I have ever had in my life at any school, college, University or Graduate School. He taught me how to give sermons and speak before audiances and was the best Bible scholar I ever studied under. He also gave me incredible opportunities by inviting me to be his assistant in 1972 to come to Pasadena from San Jose CA where I was a minister over two churches. Ron and Allie were always very loving and kind to me and my American Family. I owe so much to Ron for his emotional support and his teaching me how to be a leader in both the WCG and after I left in 1980 to become a licensed Psychotherapist in California.