Obituary of Vincent Rutherford

Vincent Arnell Rutherford went home to be with his Lord on Saturday, February 15, 2014, eight days after being hit by a car while in a crosswalk in Boulder Creek. Vince was born September 29, 1925, in Sacramento, CA, to Delia (Morrison) and Frank Rutherford. He was preceded in death by his parents, baby sister, and a granddaughter. Vince is survived by Ferne, his devoted wife of 65½ years; his five sons, Frank (Sherry) of Renton, WA; Roy (Linda) of Yakima, WA; Steve (Carla) of Needville, TX; Victor (Marsha) of Pensacola, FL; Walter (Karen) of Martell, NE; 16 grandchildren; and 26 great grandchildren. After high school Vince attended College of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, participating in the ROTC program during the waning years of WW II. After that course he took officer leadership training at Quantico, VA, in preparation for the final assault on the Japanese homeland. While there he received word that the Japanese had surrendered, but he was still scheduled to duty in the Pacific. He took additional tank training at Pendleton, CA. After his discharge he completed his BA at Asbury College in Wilmore, KY followed by pastoral training at Asbury Seminary. After two years of pastoring a church in Kansas, Vince and Ferne became missionaries with the Methodist church, hoping to go to China. Instead, over the next 25 years they served in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in various capacities. Vince then completed an MA in Missiology at Fuller Seminary and together they continued to work at Fuller and mission groups in Pasadena for about 10 years until 1991 when they retired to travel and visit their scattered family and friends. In 2013 Vince and Ferne celebrated 65 years of life together. Our family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center trauma ICU for their compassionate care during Vince's final days. In lieu of flowers Ferne requests donations to The Voice of the Martyrs, PO Box 443, Bartlesville, OK 74005, www.persecution.com or to Redwood Christian Park, 15000 Two Bar Rd, Boulder Creek, CA. A memorial celebration of Vince's life will be held at 2 p.m. on June 25th, 2014 at Felton Bible Church, 5999 Graham Hill Rd, Felton, CA.