MILL VALLEY, Calif. (BP)–Gary Pearson, a faculty member at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, died from cancer on June 29 at the age of 62.
He had taken disability leave in March and had relocated with his family to Missouri for treatment.
Pearson served as director of theological field education and professor of ministry at the seminary for 13 years. He also was serving as Golden Hills Baptist Association’s director of missions and had ministered to churches as a conflict mediator.
Rick Durst, the seminary’s academic dean, said Pearson “will be missed institutionally and personally. His leadership of our field education program was recognized nationally by the Association of Theological Schools. His understanding of human relationships and conflict management was so profound that I and many others sought his wisdom whenever we needed to navigate a win-win solution to difficult personnel problems.
“Gary was innovative and a learner to the end,” Durst added. “He had creative new ventures under development to his last day at Golden Gate.”
Pearson held doctor of ministry and master of divinity degrees from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., and a bachelor of arts from Southwest Missouri State University. In 2002 Pearson received a master of arts in organizational leadership from Sonoma State University.
Pearson is survived by his wife, Jean, and two sons, David and Danny.
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