Tributes pour in after ‘Uncle Jimmy’ Lehew’s death

Tributes poured in following the death of beloved retired Baptist Student Union (BSU) / Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) director Jimmy Lehew, who died July 31. Lehew served as BSU/BCM director at Cameron University in Lawton for 25 years. He also worked security at Falls Creek for many years and served at Elgin, Locust Grove and with Comanche-Cotton Association.

He was the uncle of Jim Lehew, vice president of Ministries for Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC), and Mike Lehew, pastor of Sapulpa Church Inside Out.

Baptist Village of Oklahoma City (BVC) Chaplain Chris Finley said Lehew was a faithful preacher of the Gospel, even as he approached his last days.

“Jimmy taught a weekly Bible study, which included a time to sing the old hymns in the long-term health center at BVC,” Finley said. “He came ready to preach with Bible and sermon notes in hand the fifth Wednesday of the month in the health center. He came prepared to preach just hours before the Lord took him home.

“He believed his calling was to serve others,” Finley added. “Being a stranger around Jimmy did not occur very often because he greeted and got to know the story of all he met. Staff at the Baptist Village commented that Jimmy was a person who cared for them and was always asking how others were doing.”

Even in retirement, Lehew was not forgotten by those he had mentored through the years.

“Many who visited the Baptist Village in OKC would ask how he was doing,” Finley said. “It seemed almost everyone knew him. Kay Clopton, his best friend—and considered by her as Jimmy’s soul mate—commented that Jimmy made a list of young men and women he had mentored and had compiled a list of more than 100 people he ministered to and where they were serving.

“Jimmy never was apologetic about not getting married. He said God called him to be set apart for ministry without ever bringing him a wife and he was content with that calling.

“’Uncle Jimmy,’ as he was known at Falls creek while serving as head of the security, was famous for his lectures to those who were caught in wrongdoing at camp. Many commented that his lectures were fair and genuine, showing care and compassion for the offender and that he always used it as an opportunity to share the Gospel.

“Jimmy was sold out to the Lord to serve despite his limitations later in life. Jimmy taught a weekly Bible study which included a time to sing the old hymns in the long-term health center at BVC.  He came ready to preach with Bible and sermon notes in hand the fifth Wednesday of the month in the health center.  He came prepared to preach just hours before the Lord took him home.”

“Jimmy was considered by many an overzealous University of Oklahoma fan. He loved and talked about every aspect of OU sports. He knew statistics, scores and names of most of those on the OU sports teams. In his apartment, he often hosted friends to watch OU and OKC Thunder games.”

“I had the blessing of serving with Jimmy when he was the head of the Falls Creek Safety Patrol,” said Bill Pierce, BVC president. “It was lots of work, but lots of fun. Every day right after lunch he met with the campers who had violated the Falls Creek rules the previous day. He was always fair but firm. Part of the meeting always included Jimmy sharing Christ with them.”

Lehew worked security at Falls Creek for 30 years (1970-2000). When he finally retired, he was presented with a special plaque of appreciation.

“Jimmy always had great joy in the Lord in his older years regardless of the challenges he was facing,” Pierce added. “He could talk to anyone at any time because he liked to talk about two things, Jesus and Oklahoma Football.

“Jimmy took the Baptist Village Communities Mission Statement to heart. Serving God—Serving You—Serving Together. When Jimmy came to Baptist Village, he came to serve God and others. Jimmy had a big heart for serving others.”

Lehew was a figurative father to Mike Keahbone, pastor of Lawton, First, who led Lehew’s funeral service on Aug. 9, at Lawton, First.

“In the fall of 1990, during my first semester at Cameron University, I walked into the Baptist Student Union—and into a divine appointment. That’s where I met Jimmy Lehew. I had no idea then the lifelong impact he would have on me,” Keahbone said.

“For the first 18 years of my life, I never had a dad. There wasn’t a man to love me, encourage me, give me advice, or coach me from boyhood into manhood. But in God’s providence, Jimmy became all of that—and more. He stepped into a role he didn’t have to, and in doing so, he became a spiritual father to me.

“Jimmy saw me at my worst and was determined to help me reach my best. Under the umbrella of his ministry, I was saved. I was discipled. I was called into the ministry. He used every resource he had to help me grow into the man he believed God had called me to be. Because of who Jimmy knew, I preached all over the state of Oklahoma. I was one of his many “preacher boys.”

“Jimmy may not have had biological children of his own, but make no mistake—he was a father in the truest and most powerful sense of the word. He left a legacy of spiritual sons and daughters who were shaped by his love, wisdom, and unwavering belief in what God could do through us.

“His absence leaves a deep ache in my heart. But his impact? That will never fade. My story with Jimmy isn’t unique. What he did for me, he did for many. And somehow, all of us believe we were his favorite. And the truth is—we were.”