Everett T. Whisnant 1904-1966

We were living in Roanoke VA when our Dad died in February 1966.  He entered the hospital when he said to me "Charles I think I need to go to the hospital, I have had an heart attack" That is all I remember when he said that. I was in high school, my last year at Jefferson High.  I can't remember if Mom went with me, I am sure she did, and Dad entered the hospital for the next two weeks, where he died.  Now my girl friend and whom I was going to marry was working at the hospital I believe every day for the next two weeks I was up there by his side every day.

  Now I didn't know that he would die two weeks later, but Dad did, he had all his funeral arrangement made and we didn't know it. We talked to him every day and he seemed fine and we didn't know. 

On the day that Dad  died we got a phone call about dad, and they said he was near death, which was a shock to me, I remember going to the hospital with Sandra Gale  Richardson and she knew that dad was going to die.  I didn't.

When we got to the hospital dad was in the ICU and they wouldn't let me see him, but they let Mom see him, and while she was in there Dad died.  That was such a shock that it took several months to recover. 


So on February 20, 1966 my Father died.  The saddest day of my life.  Dad was my life and I loved him so much.

Charles e Whisnant, crossing the street on Tazewell Ave in Roanoke VA in 2011 at the formal Roanoke Baptist Temple, which is Mission in Roanoke

Churches that Everette Whisnant was the pastor while in Roanoke VA>

Indiana Ave Victory Baptist Church, first and second
Williamsroad Baptist Church
Roanoke Baptist Temple Airport church

Early Preaching in Roanoke VA

The only photo that I have of myself as a teenager and I was at youth camp in N.C.

When I started teaching the Bible back in Roanoke, Virginia in December 1963 Dad gave me the young people's class since the teacher went to the Army.  For the text 27 months (February  1966 I taught that class ever week, while I was still in high school. 

 I was dating Saundra Richardson from the tenth grade until I sent to Seminary in 1966. Love Saundra and love the Lord and love teaching.  My Dad died in February 1966 and that ended my teaching at Roanoke Baptist Temple. I did go over to Fellowship Baptist Church with Gene Arnold and preached and taught in the High School class until Mom and the family moved to Danville, Virginia. And in my first year at Seminary was great and when I went back to Danville, Sandra got married to my surprise.  She had written me ever day in 1966 but in 1967 the stopped and then I knew why.  I have not gotten over that yet, all these years later. She married twice and she passed always in 2010.  

Now those years teaching in Roanoke, without knowing really what I was really doing, I was studying the Bible. Thank goodness Dad had a great library of great books and I really loved reading them.  I spend a lot of time reading the Bible and reading those who knew the Bible. 

Then I went to seminary and there I learn that preaching was not teaching. I did learn a lot what the Bible. Well what they said about the Bible, but they never gave me the tools to study the Bible, because that was not the right way to study and preach. 

Well for the next few churches I was in churches where the pastor did not preach verse by verse and therefore I just taught what ever. From 1970 to 1982.

It was not until 1982 that I got back on tract with teaching the bible as I did when I was in high school.

Looking Back In The Day 1963-1966