WARTICK, Wallace Wade - b. December 9, 1932 - d. March 24, 2025

[patyrn]

Wallace Wade Wartick of Grenola, Kansas passed away March 24, 2025 at Montgomery Place in Independence, Kansas.  He had lived with his daughter, Elaine, for a number of months before being moved to the care home for his last two months. He was born on the family "home place" outside of Grenola, Kansas on the southwest side of town on December 9, 1932.

Wallace had a very happy childhood there playing in the creek, riding his horse, hunting, and doing chores.  He never minded doing chores, and he loved to work and help his parents.  Pleasing them also pleased him.  He grew up helping his dad with farmwork, and he planned to continue farming as an adult.  In his teens, he met a girl named Wanda Ruth Wilson who was attending his sister's birthday party.  They didn't date until a few years later, but after high school graduation, they married.  They had three children, and Wallace continued farming.  That had been his life's plan, but God had other plans for him.

He had an opportunity to work at Boeing for five years until layoffs ended that.  During that time, he started preaching at a small church in Council Hill, Kansas.  However, he decided he wasn't educated enough to preach well, so the family moved to Joplin, Missouri so he could attend Ozark Bible College starting the spring semester of 1960.  After a few months, he also started preaching at the Jasper Christian Church in Jasper, Missouri.  He preached there for six years while attending college. He also managed the college bookstore from 1963 to 1968.  In 1963, he began teaching Greek while still attending as a student.  After graduating as Valedictorian in 1965, he began teaching fulltime as well as assisting in managing class schedules and other responsibilities in the academic area.

In 1972 Dean Seth Wilson took a year's leave to write, and the trustees chose Wallace to be the acting dean in his absence.  From 1972 to 1979, he became Assistant Academic Dean.  When Seth returned to the classroom, Wallace continued to preside at faculty meeting and oversee many of the academic administrative matters.  He was named Academic Dean from 1979 to 1981.  During his years at the college, he wrote several books:  New Testament History-The Christ, New Testament Evidences, and Studies of Acts I and II, Corinthians, and Hebrews.  Also during his college years, he spent many weekends traveling, taking along student musical groups to represent the college to churches all around the country.  He also taught Life of Christ, Romans, Hermeneutics, and Linguistics.  He traveled to Budapest, Hungary in 1994 with Karla and Jim McElroy and their group to teach
English using the book of John as an evangelistic outreach to folks there, plus they had a short side trip to Vienna.  After retiring from the college, he continued preaching at the Christian Church in Reese, Kansas.  He had been preaching there on weekends for a few years.  Then he and Wanda moved back to Grenola, Kansas, and Wallace spent 20+ years preaching at his home church, Grenola Christian Church.

In November of 2023. Wallace traveled to Williamstown, Kentucky with his daughter, Elaine and her husband, Dan.
He enjoyed the Ark exhibit and was particularly pleased to see a small display within the Ark of very old Bibles and their history. In Wallace's lifetime, he ministered in churches for 38 years.  He published 6 books, immersed over 100 people in Christ, and conducted nearly 200 weddings.  In his years since retiring from fulltime ministry and teaching, he has served the Lord faithfully as he has done all his life by writing and mailing monthly NT study sheets to many preachers, teachers, and Christian friends throughout the country. One of his final privileges was to be able to baptize his great-granddaughter, Amelia Joy Okerson into Christ in 2023.

Wallace is survived by his children, Paula Elaine (Dan) Colon of Independence, Kansas, Paul Duane (Karen) Wartick of Joplin, Missouri, and Dwight Wade Wartick of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He also leaves behind grandchildren, Scott (Esther) Okerson, Kyle (Amy) Wartick, Adam (Tifini) Wartick, Jodee Lea Wartick, Graden Wartick, Gerren Wartick, and Devante Wartick as well as six great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda
Wartick; parents, Delno and Ruby Wartick; brother, Vance Wartick; and sister, Colleen Bennitt.

A memorial service was held on April 5, 2025 at the Grenola Christian Church in Grenola, Kansas.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Grenola Christian Church and can be mailed to or left with the funeral home.  Countryside Funeral Home, 206 E. Washington, Howard, Kansas 67349 has been entrusted with arrangements.

(taken from the Countryside Funeral Home website)