IMB missionary to Mexico Tony Rengifo dies

IMB missionary to Mexico Tony Rengifo dies

RAYTOWN, Mo. — Tony Rengifo, a Southern Baptist missionary to Mexico, died May 19 in Raytown, Mo., of complications resulting from an ongoing illness.

A native of Lamud, Peru, Rengifo and his wife, the former Maria Renee Torres of Jauja, Peru, were appointed by the International Mission Board in 1987.

He served as a professor at Costa Rica Baptist Theological Seminary in San Jose, until January 2003 when he transferred to the Mexican Baptist Theological Seminary in Mexico City.

The Rengifos daughter, Vanessa Rengifo, lives in Mobile.

Rengifo, 65, was undergoing treatment for leukemia and blood clots, according to Carl Rees, who helps lead Southern Baptist work in Middle America.

Rengifo contracted a serious blood infection that could not be effectively treated due to his weakened condition.

He and his wife also served as North American Mission Board missionaries in Oklahoma, where he was director of multi-ethnic ministries in the Union Baptist Association. Rengifo is survived by his wife, a daughter and his mother.